Opposites Attract
by littlej23
Summary: Naley. What will happen when the Womens National Champion falls in love with her tutor? What will she do? How will he react? They're complete opposites. Possible Leyton, Brulian and eventually Naley. AUish. Read Review!
1. Introduction

**Naley - Opposites Attract**

**Title: Opposites Attract**

**Author: Jodie Sophia Merrygold (it's not my real name but it's my pen name, deal with it)**

**Characters: Haley James and Nathan Scott will be the main focus. May be some parts where Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, Lucas Roe and Julian Baker will be involved. Lucas is ****not**** related to Nathan in this story. Possible Leyton, Brulian, and later on Naley. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill, its characters, stories, or anything to do with the show. **

**Introduction**

We were never supposed to cross paths. We were never supposed to end up like this. In fact, we weren't supposed to be friends, at all. He was like the male version of me, except I was the gold medallist. I was the Women's National Champion. He was only the silver medallist. But that's just it. We're like the new gymnastics "power couple". Of course that's how it was, the two best gymnasts at Hillview; supposedly the best in the country; dating each other. One slight little problem: we disliked each other. It wasn't some petty second grade fight; we were competition to each other. Sure, a bit of competition was healthy; but not this type of competition. We were in competition with each other every day we spent at Hillview. Competition to win the attention of our coach, former three times Olympic gold medallist Thomas Belloff, competition to win the attention of the media, getting the most press coverage can only be a good thing, it gives the public an idea as to who you are, and can win over the votes of the judges at the Olympics. The right media attention can sometimes be the difference between the gold and silver medal. We were in constant battle, and I was winning. We may be in battle, but I'm pretty sure that this would be against Thomas's rules. We're all under very strict rules at Hillview; we risk expulsion from the gym if we don't obey them. I couldn't even begin to risk my place here at Hillview, risking my place in this gym is like risking my place in the Olympics. It wasn't possible. Until he came into my life; well and truly throwing me off course. Before he came about, I wouldn't have ever risked my spot here, it puts my career in jeopardy, and without my career as an Olympic gold medallist, what am I? Who would I be? Could I survive? If I could, how would I do it? 3 months ago, I would have given you a definite answer; I could never survive without gymnastics. It's my life, my world, my career and my everything. So now, 3 months on, why am I even considering these sorts of questions? Yet another question I can't answer. I should never have got involved, should've kept well away. Gymnastics defines who I am. So now, when I face possibly losing the one thing that means everything to me, do I continue doing the things I shouldn't? Without gymnastics, who would I be? I'll tell you who. I'm Haley James, I'm 17 years old, and I'm the Women's National Champion in Gymnastics.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just want to say thank you for all your reviews. They really encourage me to write more, knowing you all like it. Hopefully if you didn't understand much in the first chapter you'll understand a bit more as time goes on. I will warn you now; I'm rubbish at updating regularly. If I get good comments, I tend to update quicker. If I get little or no comments I tend to wait ages before I update again. **

**Chapter 2**

**_*3 months earlier* _**

Five am; my alarm clock wakes me up with a shrill ringin my ears as it did every morning. The gruelling life of gymnastics was a considerably hard one. Getting up at 5am every morning, even on Saturdays, can prove to be a tough life, but it's the life I chose for myself. It's my career, and once I'm a gold medallist in the London 2012 Olympics, it will probably be a lot worse. I dragged myself out of bed, roughly tied my hair back and went downstairs to make myself breakfast. I needed the energy for my training session that lay ahead of me, but I couldn't eat loads and end up with indigestion while I'm training. I had no time for illness. I put the bread in the toaster and waited for it to pop up. Whilst I waited, I figured I best get a head start on my algebra homework. I looked at the first question, and already I was stumped. I'd been home schooled since I was 5, being an elite gymnast I wasn't allowed to go to public school, in case I was injured during a PE class or something. Plus the fact that being an elite gymnast, you have to be able to train pretty much all day, and be available to be called into practice whenever. If I went to a public school, that wouldn't be possible. All things considered, I suppose it worked out for the best. Except to be an elite gymnast, to have a career in the Olympics, I had to maintain at least a B average in all my subjects. It wasn't a problem for me; I knew what I was doing most of the time. The toast soon popped up out of the toaster and I carefully picked it out and put it onto my plate, ready to butter. As I buttered my toast, I took another look at my algebra homework. It looked like it was impossible. I sighed and began eating, seeing the time was 5.05am. I didn't have the time to be worrying about algebra of all subjects. I quickly finished my breakfast, and went upstairs to get ready. I had to get ready fast, practice started at 6am, and it was now 5.15am. I quickly jumped in the shower, and turned it on feeling the hot water splash over my skin. I rapidly washed, and got out the shower, turning it off in the process. As I stepped out I felt the cold air of the room hit me like a hurricane, and grabbed my towel off the rack and wrapped it around me heading into my bedroom. I grabbed my underwear, leotard and Hillview gym tracksuit pulling them all on rapidly. Once I was dressed, I let my long burnt amber hair fall loose as I brushed it out, and tied it up into a neat, tight bun on the top of my head as I always did for practice. 5.45am, 5 minutes to spare before I need to leave. I walked around my room grabbing the things I needed, shoved them in my gym bag, and went downstairs to my car. I'd only just got my licence, and I was still learning as I went, but it saved having to rely on my mum or dad all the time. I didn't have to wake them up at the crack of dawn to take me to practice, I could just drive myself. As I pulled up outside the gym, I took a moment to think about my life. Being the Women's National Champion, and leading the Women's National Team, I had my own parking space. The sign read "Reserved for the James'.", and as I saw the sign every day, I thought about how lucky I was to have that sort of recognition. I looked at the time on my car clock, 5.55am it read. _I guess I better go in then… _I thought, stepping out my car and making my way into the gym. As I walked into the locker room to take off my gym tracksuit, I saw my two best friends leaning against either side of my locker waiting for me.

Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer have been my best friends ever since I started here at Hillview. We started together, and just sort of connected. We've been best friends ever since, and everyday we'd see each other at practice. I couldn't ask for better friends than them, they knew everything about me, I knew everything about them, and we knew each other's secrets. It was always us against the world, us facing the competitions together, us getting ready for competitions together, us doing everything together. I knew I could rely on them, and I knew they could rely on me. We've helped each other through everything from grazed knees to broken hearts; from little stumbles in Regionals, to bigger stumbles in Nationals. We really had been through everything together. We'd had our fair share of fights, just like every set of friends would, but being elite gymnasts didn't give us the chance to fall out, we were team mates after all, we had to show the judges that our team were in good spirits, and we all got on. Whether we did or we didn't, we had to show them that we did. As I took off my jacket, and opened my locker, they started talking.

"Tutor Girl! Where have you been! You're usually always here half hour early. You're always training by the time P. Sawyer and I get here! What's going on?" Brooke said, exaggerating just slightly.

"Brooke, I'm fine, honestly. I was just running a bit late that's all." I said, folding up my gym tracksuit and putting it into my locker with my gym bag and closing it.

"Yeah, right. Anyway come on we're going to be late for training and Tom will go mental. Come on." Peyton replied, grabbing our hands and dragging us out of the locker room. As we walked out the locker room and onto the mat to stretch before we could do any training, I could see him staring at me. He'd been staring at me a lot lately. I didn't even know why, I didn't like him. He was cocky, arrogant, and he knew he was good. I mean, in a bad way of course. I know I'm good, but I don't go around flashing my gold medal to everyone I see. As I finished stretching, and got up to start my floor routine, he came over. He stood next to the floor mat where I was about to practice, and just stood and stared. I didn't let him stop me, why should I? I'm a gymnast, I'm the Women's National Champion, and I perform in front of thousands of people as my career. It's what I choose to do.

My routine is a complicated one, but the higher the difficulty level, the more points I earn. It consists of many different elements of dance, tumbling and gymnastics put together, things like: a back handspring, round off, forward handspring into full layout, back somersault, forward somersault, plenty of dance elements, more tumbling, aerials, and many other things. It's all compiled to a piece of music that's cut down to about 1 minute 30 seconds to keep within the rules and guidelines, and then polished up. I finish in the middle of the mat, and I stand up to see him staring at me again. I finally decide to ask him what his problem is, he's been staring at me for ages. I'm interrupted by our coach and head of the gym Thomas Belloff just as I start to walk towards him.

"Haley, a word in my office please?" Tom calls across the gym, and I give my apparent stalker a glance to tell him it's not over. I walk up to Tom's office, and stand waiting for him. "Sit down, Haley." He says, and I do as I'm told. I sit and wait for Tom to say whatever he has to say to me. "Haley, as you know you're one of the brightest students here at Hillview. And I know that you know you have to maintain a B average in all of your subjects in order to stay here, which is the reason I've called you in here today." He says, staring at me.

"Okay…what do you mean?" I ask, wondering what he's talking about.

"Basically, you're flunking maths, algebra specifically. You're getting Cs and Ds in maths, Haley. It's not possible if you want to stay here. You're one of our best gymnasts, and to lose you would be a major blow to both the gym and to you." He explained.

"Okay, so what happens now?" I ask.

"The only choice we have is to assign you a tutor Haley." He replied.

"Okay…who is it?" I ask yet another question.

"Haley, meet your tutor. Nathan Scott." He says, and I follow his gaze to the door, seeing the boy that's been staring at me all morning standing in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again I want to say a massive thank you to everybody who reads and reviews this fic, I know it's only been 2 days but I'm eternally grateful to every single one of you for reading and reviewing. I really do work so hard on this fic, and the reviews really do mean the world to me. **

**Chapter 3**

I stared at the boy in the doorway, unwilling to believe the words of my coach. How could he be my tutor? I may be flunking math but I'm pretty sure he doesn't know anything about algebra. I wasn't going to let that idiot tutor me.

"No way is he my tutor." I exclaimed, pointing towards the boy now sitting next to me. "No way whatsoever. What does he know about algebra? I might be flunking math, but I'm sure he's flunking pretty much every subject!"

"Haley, calm down. Nathans grade in math is a B + average, yours is a C -. He can help you. You know you're one of our best gymnasts here, Haley. If Nathan doesn't tutor you I'll have no choice but to kick you out of Hillview." Tom said.

"Haley, just listen to me a minute." He finally speaks.

"No way, not a chance I am listening to you." I replied, shaking my head.

"Haley, please!" He exclaimed.

"Nathan, listen to me. I'm the gold medallist here, you're not. So you listen to me. You will never tutor me. Never. " I set the record straight, explaining the situation.

"Fine then, you can be kicked out of here. You'll lose your career, not me. And just think of it this way, if you don't let me tutor you, you're going to lose the only thing that's important to you. You'll have to go to public school. You will never be an elite gymnast again. Think of it that way, Haley." He said, looking at me.

"Think of it this way Nathan, I can find another tutor. I don't need you to tutor me." I replied. In all honesty, he was right. I doubt I could find another tutor within a few days. Who did I know that was smart enough to tutor me? Brooke and Peyton were just about passing.

"Who are you going to find at such short notice to tutor you?" he asked. Damn he was good. I sighed knowing he was right. I couldn't risk my career in elite gymnastics for algebra. Maybe it was just best to let him tutor me? No. I couldn't.

"Look, you're not going to tutor me, end of story." I said, looking at Tom. "Can I go now? I have to train. I am the National Champion, remember?"

"Okay, fine, go. But if you don't find a tutor by the end of today, you either let Nathan here tutor you, or you quit gymnastics, for good. It's your choice." Tom said, pointing to the door. I got up and went back to practice, heading for the beam, seeing my best friends standing there waiting for me.

"So…what'd he want? And whys that ass in there with you?" Lucas asked, referring to Nathan. Lucas Roe had been my best friend since I was about 3 years old. His mom would look after me like I was her own, seeing as my parents weren't around as much. They were always busy looking after my older sisters and brothers; I was the baby of the family. Baby James they used to call me, because I was the youngest out of all the kids they had. Karen, Lucas' mom, changed that for me. She took me in as if I was her own. I was always around there, play dates with Lucas, and sometimes Brooke and Peyton too as we got a bit older. When Lucas came to mine, and on the rare occasion my parents were home, we used to hang out together in my room. It was the best time, just us hanging out. My older sister, Taylor, used to run and tell my parents that we were kissing in my room, and then we'd both be dragged away from each other. My dad would give Lucas a lecture on how if he ever hurt his baby girl, he'd better watch out, and how he shouldn't be anywhere near me if he planned to kiss me. My mom would give me a lecture on how when I found the right guy I better make sure that he was perfect for me, and I was in love, and that I was happy. Then my other older sister, Quinn, would tell my parents that Taylor made it up. It was a routine thing, it happened all the time. Yet my parents never learned. Every time Taylor came running, they thought it was true. Never once did they learn. When it got to about my 14th birthday, they stopped caring what Taylor said about Lucas and I. They'd given up, beyond the point of caring. They thought if I was old enough to understand that they only wanted to best for me, I was old enough to understand that if Lucas was I wanted, they'd be happy for me. Of course it was never like that, Lucas was my best friend. He looked out for me, I looked out for him, and we were just best friends. We never thought of taking it anywhere further than being friends, it didn't seem right to do it. Lucas was like the perfect guy, he was patient, kind, caring, and he didn't push you to do things you didn't want to do. Unless he thought that it was right for you, then he'd push and push until he convinced you to do it, but I guess you had to love him for it. He was a kind, caring boy, and would never intentionally hurt somebody. He was only looking out for us. I gave him, Brooke and Peyton the basic lowdown on what happened in Tom's office, before mounting onto the beam and practicing my routine on there. The beam was my second strongest event, floor being my first. It was my floor routine that got me the National title, when I upped my level of difficulty at the last minute after watching Rachel Gatina, the lead girl for Denver Elite, perform an 8.5 difficulty level on the floor, I had to beat her score. Tom advised me that I could add in a double back handspring into a double back somersault into my routine to increase the difficulty level from an 8.5 to an 8.8, to beat Rachel's score, and that's exactly what I did. I carefully added in the new move, and pulled it off seamlessly. I didn't even have any training for that move. But the thought that I could've lost out on a gold medal because of my difficulty level, if I didn't even try, it just makes me proud and glad that I tried, and pulled it off. Rachel's a competitive gymnast, just like me. Except she trains at Denver Elite, and competes with them. She's my biggest competition, everybody else I can fight off and compete against without a problem, but with Rachel, you never know what sort of tricks she has up her sleeve. You've got to play your cards right with Rachel as competition; one false move and you're down to a silver medal while she wins the gold. That's basically the one rule for every elite gymnast on a competing level, play your cards right with your difficulty level; else you could be down to a silver medal in the space of less than a second. I finished explaining what just happened in Tom's office as I land a front handspring on the beam.

"Wow…sounds tough." Lucas said, watching me practice.

"I know, I've got to find a tutor by the end of the day or I'm stuck with that jackass, because there is no way on this earth that I'm quitting gymnastics. It's my life." I replied, going for a back handspring. I landed the move and pointed my fingers and toes out to the left, tidying up the landing.

"Where are you going to find a tutor at such short notice?" Brooke stepped in, as I turned direction and dismounted the beam with a back somersault, bending my knees and moving my arms in front of me, to above my head as I landed.

"I don't know, I've got to stick around here for a good few hours, I need to train. We've got that invitational coming up in about 2 weeks, and I have to be ready for it. I have a photo shoot for some magazine at 3, Nathans going to be there too, unfortunately. Seeing as we're the big "power couple" of the gymnastics world right now, we've got to have this shoot done together or something. But once I finish that, I guess I've got to start looking." I replied, pretty much revealing my schedule for the day. I taped up my hands and then put them in the chalk dust rubbing them together and heading for the uneven bars.

_*later that night, after the photo shoot*_

The rest of my day was pretty much uneventful; I did my best to ignore Nathan during the photo shoot, seeing as I'm the main focus of it. But it didn't all work out perfectly; I could see the smug look in his eyes and the smirk on his face when we weren't on camera. He was incredibly annoying and smug. He knew I wouldn't find a tutor at such short notice, and he knew he was going to win. I'd searched everywhere I could to find a tutor for me. Nobody was available, and anybody that was didn't want to know. I guess it was time to face the facts, Nathan was going to have to tutor me, whether I liked it or not. As I put on a tank top and a pair of shorts for the summer weather, I grabbed my National team jacket, my phone, keys, and headed for the door. I walked out of the front door, putting on my jacket as I did so. I decided before I did this deed, I should at least take some final time to think about my decision. What other choice did I have? It was either let this asshole tutor me in one subject for a while, or quit elite gymnastics for good. I couldn't let my whole life of training go to waste, it was the world to me. If I wasn't a gymnast, what would I be? I wouldn't. I've never had a life without gymnastics since I was 5 years old. How could I cope if I had to give up the one competitive sport I loved more than anything in the world? I couldn't cope. I'd be forced to go to a public school, with normal people. I've never been a normal person, not since I started gymnastics. I've never had the life of a normal 17 year girl. Even taking the scenic route, it only took me about 10 minutes to reach my final destination. I took a final, large, deep breath as I walked up to the front door of the house, and knocked on the door. I stood and deliberated for a minute or two while I waited for the door to be answered. I was broken from my thoughts as a dark haired boy opened the door.

"Haley, what are you doing here?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm repeating myself here, but I feel bad if I don't thank you all for the reviews you give me. Favourite story 3 times, favourite author 2 times, story alert 7 times, author alert twice. It means the world to know that you like what I'm doing. So here's another chapter for you, I hope you like it. Hope you all still enjoy it. **

**Chapter 4**

_"Haley, what are you doing here?" he asked. In all honesty, all I could say was the truth. I was only there because I couldn't find another tutor, and I couldn't risk my career at the expense of algebra. _

_"Look, Nathan. I know you're a complete ass, and I know I'm the last person you'd expect to see you on your doorstep at 8.30 at night. You win, okay? I can't find another tutor. I need your help. I can't risk my career because I'm flunking math, it's just not possible for me. So, I'm calling a truce. Tutor me, and I'll help you up your difficulty so you're certain to beat the Chinese at the invitational in a few weeks. Deal?" I asked, making it so he couldn't refuse._

_"Okay…sounds good to me. When do we start?" He asked._

_"Um…well I'm not getting up at 3am to meet you at 4am and be at practice for 6am. It's not going to happen. Seeing as pretty much everyone knows you're going to have to tutor me anyway, how about after practice? Say about 3.15pm, your place? I'll drive us here after practice if you wait for me. I'd just need to change." I told him where and when, and didn't wait for a response before confirming it. If he has to tutor me, he's doing it when it suits me. _

_"Yeah that's fine. I'll wait. If we're going back to mine I'll get changed then if that's alright with you?" He replied, obviously showing a cocky side to him._

_"If you're not arrogant about it, sure, I don't mind. Meet me by my car after practice. You'll know where it is, I have my own parking spot." I replied, trying to match his arrogance. He was like, the king of arrogance, he probably invented the word, so trying to match it was near enough impossible. _

_"Sorry, not my fault if you can't handle my hotness." He said with a wink. "But sure, I know where your spot is." _

_"Okay, that's that then. 3.15 tomorrow afternoon, don't be late." I said, and went to walk away._

_"Haley!" He called after me as I walked away from the door._

_"What?" I called back, turning round to face him._

_"Why don't you come inside for a bit?" He asked._

_"No thanks. I have to get back; I need to sleep before training tomorrow. You'll see me tomorrow anyway, so it's not that big a deal." I said, turning around once again and beginning to walk back to my house. _

Practice was over for another day. Tom had said to me to gain a little more height to change my double back somersault to a double back Arabian, in order to up my difficulty level to beat Rachel and the Chinese at the invitational. As I headed to the locker room to change out of my leotard and tracksuit, Brooke and Peyton voiced their opinions about Nathan the Jackass tutoring me.

"He's totally hot, but he's a total ass." Brooke said.

"Brooke! I thought you were into that Julian guy anyway?" Peyton questioned. We all knew Brooke had a sneaky crush on the newest member of Hillview. He joined about 2 weeks ago, and Brooke had her eye on him since the day he joined. They'd yet to go out, but Brooke had sneakily helped him on the floor today, by being his coach while Tom was helping me. She was supposed to be helping him, but really she stared at his rear end the whole time.

"I am!" She protested, opening her locker and pulling out her mini skirt and tank top.

"Guys just shut up, okay? I can't do anything about it. He's tutoring me whether I like it or not. I just have to deal with it. I'm not quitting gymnastics because I can't find a tutor, when there's one right in front of me, even if he is a jackass." I sighed, pulling out a pair of shorts and vest top.

"I guess you're right then. But just don't get involved with him. You know what he's like, he's a complete jackass. He plays people." Peyton warned.

"P. Sawyer's right, he's a total player." Brooke concurred.

"Guys I know okay? I get that he's a player, but I don't have another choice. That's what the no dating rule is there for. I'll be fine, alright?" I replied, grabbing my bag and walking out to my car. As I walked over to the driver's side, I barely acknowledged his presence. I didn't want to have to talk to him anymore than I had too.

"Hi to you too, Haley." He said, getting in the passenger's side.

"Sorry, didn't realise you were there." I smirked, trying his patience.

"Oh come on you totally saw me! Don't even deny it!" He protested. I laughed and told him to calm himself down; I was only messing with him. As we pulled up at his house, I parked my car on his huge drive; big enough for about 10 cars, got out, and followed his lead into the house. He'd insisted we stop at the local corner shop on the way, so he could get some gum to chew on. I'd reluctantly agreed to his request, and bought myself a gymnastics magazine to pass the time. As we sat at the table to begin tutoring, I'd been made aware that it wasn't just gum he'd bought. He ripped open the packet, and pulled out a multi coloured novelty bracelet.

"Here," he said, stretching the bracelet to fit my wrist. "It's for you."

"Stop it. Nathan, I can't…" I began to protest.

"Come on." He laughed, while slipping it on my wrist. "Don't say I never gave you anything." I stared down at it on my wrist, and sighed. I picked up my algebra book, and showed it to him.

"You see this book? Because this book is me. I am math." I started.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, looking perplexed.

"It's supposed to mean that you can work your whole 'I'm Nathan Scott, Mr big-shot scoring 7.5 on the floor and winning the silver medal' on somebody else. Because I…" again I was cut off.

"I didn't even score 7.5 on the floor. I scored 7.5 on the pommel horse." He replied.

"Whatever. The point is, at the end of the day, all your big scores and silver medals don't mean anything to math. Because math don't care, and neither do I." I finished.

"Well does English care? Because I really suck at that." He replied, looking all cocky and arrogant.

"Don't waste my time. I'm already taking a huge chance on you because my instincts are screaming at me that you're an ass." I said as he laughed slightly. "Let's just get on with it."

He looked at me as if to say that he didn't think my rant was possible, especially for me. He looked all smug and cocky as well. I didn't want to talk to him any more than necessary; we'd never been friends in gymnastics, so why start now? He was the complete opposite of me; smug, arrogant and cocky. I won the gold medal, I'm the Women's national champion, and he's only the silver medallist. So why is he the cocky one? I'm smarter than him in pretty much every subject except math, again, why is he the cocky one? If anyone it should be me. But I'm not going to go around showing off my gold medal to everyone and anyone. I'm not going to go around bragging about my A +'s on my tests. So why should he? He shouldn't.

Hours later the tutoring session was finally over, and I could finally get out of there. I had a test on algebra coming up so Nathan agreed to help me study for it tomorrow.

"What's in it for me?" he questioned, after agreeing to help me.

"I already told you, tutor me and I'll increase your difficulty level." I replied, remembering our deal yesterday evening.

"You already did that, remember? At practice today." He said, talking to me as if I had amnesia. What an idiot.

"Nathan, increasing your difficulty isn't just a one trick thing." I explained.

"Well you managed it pretty well. You want to tutor me in that too?" He started to get cocky once again.

"I had no choice. Rachel had a higher difficulty, I knew I wouldn't win. What did you want me to do just stand there and watch it happen? Not a chance. I'll help you again until you've mastered it." I started to raise my voice, becoming annoyed that he was thinking so simply. He was supposed to be an elite gymnast, yet he was thinking so simply.

"No, Haley that's not what I mean. I told you earlier, I suck at English. I need you to help me." He explained simply, I guess he really was a simple person.

"Fine. Tutor me and I'll tutor you. Deal?" I questioned.

"Deal."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews again guys. Sorry for the wait, I've had school to be dealing with all week. I'll try and update this again by Friday, latest. Then hopefully I'll have more time to update it over the weekend. I just want to say all your reviews really do mean the world to me, please try and review this if you read it, because otherwise I don't know if you guys are enjoying it or want me to change anything. You have a voice too; it's called the review chapter button, use it! Thank you in advance. **

**Chapter 5**

Tutoring over the next few days went better than expected. He was less cocky, and actually started to help me. I still thought he was a cocky over-confident jackass, but maybe not so much as he was. We'd been practicing upping his difficulty level since we started tutoring each other. It turns out he knew how to do a double back Arabian, he just never really used it. He helped me to include it into my floor routine, and I helped him up his difficulty level as well as tutoring him in English. I'd been staying behind later and later every day at practice, while Nathan was helping me perfect my double back Arabian. I made up some excuse that Tom needed to see me after practice to Brooke, Peyton and Lucas. I couldn't have them finding out that I was spending more and more time each day with Nathan. They would definitely suspect something. Today was another day, another practice session, another tutoring session, and another 2 hours spent in the gym with Nathan. He was actually a good gymnast, he just needed a little boost in difficulty and he could be the new gold medallist. Nathan was helping me perfect my double back Arabian, and even for an elite gymnast it was tiring. He was helping me land it by placing his arm across my back, and pulling me upright as I landed. He kept his hand on the small of my back for a second, and I smiled at him. He moved his hand from my back, and then I lay on the floor and tried to breathe for a minute. He put his knees either side of my body and hovered over me, and told me to do push ups. I didn't quite understand what he meant, so he explained that while I lay here, I have to push him up, to increase my upper arm strength. I told him he was insane, and that I wouldn't do it. But when he hovered closer to my face, and told me Rachel would beat me if I didn't, I started pushing. As I put my hands on his chest, I heard the door open. I looked around and saw Brooke standing in the doorway. I scrambled to my feet and explained to Brooke it's not what she thought it was, and it wasn't what it looked like. But Brooke being Brooke didn't care about the no dating rule, hell she'd broken that plenty of times, she just cared that Haley James, the smart, quiet, gold medallist, was into Nathan Scott, the big mouth, big ego, silver medallist. She said something about a date tonight, but I tried to block out most things Brooke said. She was always trying to set me up, and it never worked out, so I never really listened to Brooke where the word dating was involved. I gave Nathan some excuse that I had to go, and I'd see him tomorrow. He tried to convince me to stay a while, and that I shouldn't be put off by Brooke because we were only doing some innocent training together. I told him it wasn't that and I just had to go, and thankfully he let me go. I went to the locker room and grabbed my gym bag, not bothering to change, and just walked out to my car with it. I sat and thought for a minute about my apparent relationship with Nathan, thought about what Brooke said, and then drove home.

A few hours later, I was studying in my room for my algebra test. It was harder without Nathan; he wasn't there to make things easier for me. I was still trying, and most of it was making sense, but without Nathan it was so much harder. I was about to answer another question when I heard a knock on the door. I wondered who was going to be knocking on my door at 7.30pm. I had my hair tied up into a loose, messy bun, and I was only wearing a pair of jeans and a loose top, I didn't expect to see anyone tonight. The doorbell rang and as I came down the stairs I shouted to hold on. I opened the door to see the last person I'd expect to be here. Nathan. What could he possibly be doing here? What could he possibly want at 7.30? I asked him why he was here, and apparently he overheard Brooke and I's conversation, and he wanted to go on this date.

"Haley, come on, why not?" He asked.

"Have you never heard of the no dating rule? That applies to you too, Mr Big-Shot." I replied, going to shut the door. He pushed it open again, and looked at me.

"Haley, please. Come on, it'll be fun. Here, I'll even give you an imaginary get out of jail free card. Any time you want to bail, go right ahead. So come on, Brookes set up this whole serial date thing. We may as well go ahead with it." He argued, completely twisting my arm.

"Fine. But I get to bail any time I like?" I pushed.

"Any time you like. You have my word." He promised.

"Fine…but if I say I'm leaving that's it, alright?" I said, poking him with my pen, laughing.

"Come on then." He replied, looking at me.

"What like this?" I asked, completely shocked he thinks I'm leaving the house like this.

"Of course, you look beautiful. Come on." He smiled, holding his hand out. I grabbed my jacket, my phone and my keys and walked out the door following his lead. Apparently our date was set in a bunch of cards that we had to find, and they all linked on to one another. The first card gave us an address that we had to go to, and on the way we were to reveal 3 things we liked about each other.

"I like your eyes." Nathan stated. "They're really pretty, and they sparkle in the light. I like how patient you are with me, no matter how many times I tell you you're doing your double back Arabian wrong. And I like that you're willing to tutor me even though I know you think I'm annoying."

"Nathan, that's really sweet…" I started.

"So come on what about me? I know your first one is I'm hot." He laughed.

"Don't be so cocky. I like your smile when you get a question right, when you're proud. I like that you're not trying to take advantage of me, with all the extra training I mean, and you're not horrible to look at." I laughed, as we arrived at the address on the card. Brooke was so typical. The address had turned out to be a lacy underwear store. I complained once again, and Nathan convinced me to at least give it a go. As we went inside in search of the next card, Nathan gave me a small, supportive smile and picked up the next card. He opened it and read out its contents.

"Buy each other a gift." Nathan read, laughing slightly at the end of it. We switched directions and went in search of the perfect gift for each other. I decided to play it safe and not go for anything completely ridiculous, although having to wear a leotard every day must be ridiculous enough for him. We both bought our gifts in secrecy and then exchanged them once outside the shop. I only bought Nathan a pair of socks; I didn't want to be too adventurous. He laughed when he pulled them out the bag, thanked me, and said I could've gone for something else. I told him that I was just playing it safe, but I can buy him a thong if he wanted me too. He laughed it off as I pulled out my gift from the bag. I thought he'd go for the obvious revealing underwear, but he actually bought me something nice. It was a short, silk nightdress with a frill on the bottom, and it was pink in colour, to match the colour of my leotard. I smiled and thanked him for being sensible, and not choosing anything patronising or uncomfortable for me. The card we had found had given us another address to go to, and it turned out it was the address of a local restaurant. Nathan asked if I wanted to go, and I said we may as well if Brookes gone to all this trouble. He told me I can bail for pizza if the food sucked. I agreed to his terms and we headed to the restaurant, to find Brooke had previously reserved us a table, and left another card there. The card read to order our favourite dishes for each other.

"Any chance your favourite dish is prime rib?" He laughed.

"I'm a gymnast, Nathan. I don't eat ribs, remember? You shouldn't be either. Guess you're a rule breaker." I laughed in reply.

"So come on then, what is your favourite dish?" He asked.

"Macaroni and Cheese. Food of the Gods." I smiled.

"What are your Gods, five year olds?" He grinned, making a joke.

We sat and talked for about 10 minutes before the food arrived. We started eating almost instantly; I know I hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning. As time went by, a couple of Nathans friends from Hillview spotted us. We were sitting right along the river side, and were clearly visible to the rest of the world. Nathans friends weren't as good as he was; they weren't even competing at Nationals. All the while, they were still cocky as he was, possibly even worse, and I can't be doing with cocky, arrogant timewasters who won't improve my career.

"Hey, Nate man. What are you doing here?" One of them, supposedly the leader, asked.

"Hey, you know Haley, my tutor." He said, and I couldn't deny that's what I was to him.

"This looks more than tutoring man…you're on a date!" another one exclaimed.

"No, dude. This is totally not a date, okay? Haley's my tutor, and that's all there is too it." Nathan explained, not taking into the account the slightly hurt look etched upon my face.

"If that's your story." The 'leader' laughed once again, and walked away.

"Haley I'm…" Nathan began, before I cut him off.

"No, Nathan, do you know what? I don't want to know. What is it, are you too embarrassed to be seen with me?" I asked.

"No I just…" he began again.

"Save it, Nathan. Tell it to someone who cares. Why are you only nice to me when we're alone? In fact, forget it. I'll get Tom to help me with my double back Arabian and you can find yourself another tutor. I'm done here." I cut him off once again, stood up, and left him at the table on his own.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, sorry I didn't update last night, I felt so ill, I went to bed before 11. I would've updated, but I hadn't got much done and I'd have felt really bad if I posted an unfinished update. I'm updating today, and I might update again later, or tomorrow, depending on how much I get done and when by. I want you all to know how much reviews mean to me, it doesn't matter if they're just positive, just constructive, or if they're just an idea you had. It really would mean a lot to me if I got more of them. **

**Just want to say thank you to 'haleydavisbaker' for your idea, I'm not ignoring you, I have noted it, and I will include it at some point! Thank you for reviewing and thanks for the review, glad you're enjoying this fic! **

**I'm going to stop going on about reviews now, you're all probably sick of hearing it, so yeah, thank you so much for the reviews I have got, you're all amazing!**

**Chapter 6**

The next day at training was awkward. I'd completely blanked Nathan up until now, rejecting his many calls, ignoring his messages, and ignoring his texts. Why should I apologise? I wasn't the one that completely patronised him to my friends. I wasn't the one that completely ignored all friendship between us. It was as if he could only be nice to me when we were alone, as if he was embarrassed to be seen with me. I wasn't that confident as it was, and when a guy claims you're nothing more than his tutor to his friends, it really knocks you. He tried to make some attempts to talk to me, but I blanked them every time. I wasn't going to deal with him while I was training; I wasn't going to let him distract me. I moved onto the floor once I was done on the uneven bars, and began my routine. As I drew closer to the finish, I tried to make myself look better than him by adding in the double back Arabian he'd been helping me with. As I went to try it, I couldn't gain enough height to maintain it, so I looked messy in the air and landed messily as well. Despite looking like a complete fool, I stepped forward and stood up straight, trying to remember the techniques he'd taught me. I guess it only worked when he held his arm across the small of my back, holding me upright as I landed. It's what it looked like for the time being, anyway. I continued to practice on the floor, as I ignored another attempt by Nathan to try to talk to me. I distracted myself from talking to him by attempting the double back Arabian once again, landing cleaner and smoother this time. I still didn't have the full height needed to pull it off; but I was getting there. It was a start, and I guess since Nathan and I weren't talking, I'd have to get used to trying things on my own. I still had Tom to help me pull it off, but he doesn't exactly care. He just wants what's best for me, and wants me to be able to pull it off alone. I can't say I blame him though; he did win three Olympic gold medals. He knows what it takes to make it, and even if it involves cruel, early mornings, I'm willing to do it. I practiced and practiced my routine on the floor until it was perfect, other than my double back Arabian; that still needed work. I couldn't waste a whole training session on the floor though, so I decided to move over to the beam, my second strongest event. The beam requires strength, balance, and you have to be light on your feet. One false move on the beam and it can throw you off balance in the rest of the events you compete in. Nathan looked as if he was getting tired of me ignoring him; good, just what I wanted. Maybe now he'll understand how it feels to be undermined and patronised. He wasn't going to be forgiven that easily. I could feel his eyes on me, as I moved from one end of the beam to the other within the space of a few seconds, so I knew I couldn't afford to mess up. Thankfully, there wasn't much you could do to increase your difficulty on the beam, so I stuck with the routine that I had been practicing since Nationals. It was simple, yet complicated, and with the right choice of music, the emotions displayed will be enough to earn me visual marks as well marks on strategy and technique. As I went through my routine, I knew I couldn't afford to make a mistake. I continued on as normal, as though he wasn't watching me. But I knew he was. Knowing he was watching me made me more anxious and nervous about executing a move than I should be. I carried on regardless, and pulled off the simple double back handspring I know I can do perfectly. I pulled it off smooth and clean, just like normal, and then continued my routine on the beam. As I tried to forget about Nathan, practice dragged on even more so than usual. I managed to keep the rest of my routines for other events clean, tidy and smooth, unlike the mess of a floor routine I'd performed at the beginning. Once practice started to end and people headed back to the locker room, I decided to try and practice my floor routine one more time. I tried it while I was alone, so I couldn't be distracted by Nathans presence and be mortified and embarrassed if I messed up the double back Arabian again. The rest of the routine went seamlessly, as best I could've done it; apart from the double back Arabian. I didn't gain enough height to even attempt to pull it off, so I had to stick with my double back. I sighed and headed to the locker room to get changed, giving up completely with this double back Arabian. It was useless without Nathan; it was like I could only pull it off when I knew he was there; when I knew he would help me. Knowing if I didn't pull it off I had to figure out how to correct it for myself. I'd never done it by myself before, how was I supposed to figure out what to do? I thought about how I could pull off the move without Nathans help, I had to take matters into my own hands now. I walked into the empty locker room and opened up my locker, pulling out my gym bag as I did so. I grabbed my top from my bag, and held it under my chin as I pulled down the top of my tight leotard. I pulled the new top over my head and pulled it into place, whilst stepping out of the bottom of my leotard and pulling on a pair of shorts in its place. I grabbed my jacket from my bag and shoved in the leotard in its place. I zipped up my gym bag and slung it over my shoulder as I headed out to my car. I unlocked my small car, put the key in the ignition, and started the journey home. I decided to take the scenic route home; it would give me more time to think about how I was going pull off this near enough impossible move, how I was going to avoid Nathan and still pass algebra, and more importantly, how I was going to explain to Brooke, Peyton and Lucas why I was being so unenthusiastic. Nathan was tutoring me in math, how was I going to pass it without his help? Things only really seemed to make sense when he explained them to me. Things were so awkward between us, I was avoiding him, and he was doing anything but avoiding me. All he wanted to do was talk, to apologise, to say he didn't mean it. I'd heard it all before. Guys never truly mean it when they apologise, if they did mean it, they wouldn't be apologising, because they wouldn't have done what they did in the first place. I wouldn't listen to him because that's how it was. I knew how guys' minds worked, and I wasn't going to put myself out there again for him to just knock me down time after time. I wouldn't do it, I couldn't do it. As I pulled up onto my driveway, thinking about every little thing, I saw him. He was stood on my front garden throwing rocks at the window of my parents' room. I wasn't sure if my parents were in or not, so just in case they were, I had to stop him. I grabbed my gym bag from the back of my car, and slung it over my shoulder once again as I walked over to him. He obviously hadn't noticed my presence yet, because he continued throwing rocks at my parents' window. I decided I better say something so he did notice me, before he alerted my parents'.

"Are you trying to wake my parents? That's their room." I said, displaying next to no emotion what so ever.

"Wait, Haley!" He exclaimed, dropping the rock in his hand and running over to stand in front of me. "Look, I need to apologise, okay?"

"You should buy them in bulk if you're going to hand out apologies that often." I said.

"I just…I don't know how to do this, alright? I'm not…I'm not like you." He replied, slowly, as if he was still thinking about what he had to say.

"What does that mean?" I questioned, confused by his choice of words.

"I screw up a lot, alright? And being around you…I just…I don't want to be that guy anymore." He answered.

"Well who do you want to be, Nathan?" I asked, wondering if he'd ever get to the point.

"I want to be someone who's good enough to be seen with you." He said simply.

"Well you should've thought of that last night. You know what, I keep, I keep putting myself out there, and you keep blowing it! It's probably a good thing, because at this point there's nothing you can say or do that's going to surprise me." I replied quickly, eager to just get rid of him. What he did next was the one thing that really did surprise me. He leaned in towards me quickly, and planted his lips on mine. I couldn't believe he was risking our places at Hillview for this. But then again, his lips felt kind of soft, and the kiss felt right. He pulled away after a few seconds and looked at me, waiting on my response. "Except that. You shouldn't have done that, Nathan." I simply said.

"But I wanted too." He said, looking at me once again.

"Yeah…" I whispered, and flung my arms round his neck, kissing him back as I should've done the first time. I smiled into the kiss and stood on my tiptoes trying to stay at his height, in order for our kiss to continue. Nathan stood there, rigid as a statue, but moved his head down so I didn't have to reach up as far. This was how it should be. I guess I didn't have to find a new tutor now, or find someone to help me pull off my double back Arabian. In fear of being caught, we both pulled away slowly and stared into each other's eyes, not needing to look any lower than the eyes to know that we were both grinning like Cheshire cats.


	7. Chapter 7

**Just wanted to say, I worked really hard on the last chapter, and this one too. I've been wanting to post this for days but I didn't want to until I got at least one review. Can I just say that I really appreciate all the reviews I get, and I'd appreciate it a lot more if you could review my chapters. **

**Chapter 7**

The next day, I met Nathan at the gym earlier, before practice started. We hadn't told anybody about the kiss, we couldn't. The no dating rule was there for a reason, and before I met Nathan, I never thought I'd be the one to break it, other than Brooke, at least. We hadn't exactly discussed what we were after that kiss, but I think it was safe to say that we were more than just tutor and student now. I'd got up the extra hour earlier just to get myself ready and make sure everything was right. I opened up my wardrobe and decided on picking a different leotard to the one I'd usually wear. It was scarlet in colour, with a bright white stripe going across the top in a diagonal shape. It had diamantes across the top of the stripe, giving it a classy but elegant feel. I wasn't a typical girly gymnast; pink was my least favourite colour. I hated it with a passion; I'd never consider wearing pink. Even if it was on a leotard, I refused to wear pink. I would only ever wear pink if they suddenly made it the National team colour. It wouldn't ever come to that though; the National team colour is always red or blue, because the flag of the USA is blue, red, and white. While I was training, I didn't have to wear the National team leotard, so most of the time it hung in my wardrobe along with my National team jacket, just waiting for a big meet so I can wear it. While I waited for the big meets to happen, I just wear a leotard of my choice along with my Hillview gym tracksuit. Over the years, I'd collected so many leotards; I had loads just hanging in my wardrobe, so I tend to just pick and choose one to wear every morning. This morning was different, now I had someone to impress. We couldn't be so obvious so everyone found out, someone could tell Tom, and we'd be expelled. So apart from the change in leotard, we had to act normal. Going in early wasn't exactly normal, but it was worth it. I pulled out my leotard and lay it on my bed whilst I got my underwear from my drawer. I pulled on my underwear, and then pulled my leotard up over it. I grabbed my gym bag and shoved my clothes for after practice in, and zipped it up. I pulled my tracksuit bottoms and jacket over my leotard, grabbed my phone, keys, and bag, and headed out the door to my car. I threw my gym bag into the front seat of my car, and drove to Hillview. As I pulled into the car park, I saw Nathans car was already there. I guess he was serious about being here early. I grabbed my gym bag from the front seat, slung it over my shoulder, locked my car, and walked into the gym, not seeing Nathan anywhere. I walked towards the locker room to open up my locker and put my gym bag inside, when I felt someone grab hold of my hand and pull me deeper into the locker room. Tom never came into the locker room; he was either in his office, or patrolling the floor, helping people to up their game. I guess we were safe in here, but we couldn't risk anything, just in case other people had decided to come in early. He pulled me around the back of the lockers, held my hands by my side, putting his hands on my waist, and kissed me deeply. His soft lips invaded the proximity between us, and my lips kissed his right back. I smiled into the kiss once again, as I had done yesterday, and leaned forward trying to break the kiss. I didn't want it to end, but I couldn't risk us being caught by Tom. He never usually comes in the locker room, but as we're the only two in at the moment, he might come in and check. Nathan stared at me with a questioning look upon his face as I told him that we couldn't do this here right now. He answered me by telling me he'll kiss me later, and we should get to work on my double Arabian. I opened up my locker and put my bag inside, while taking off my jacket and tracksuit bottoms, putting them inside with my bag. I closed my locker and laughed at Nathans attempt to kiss me a final time before we headed into practice. I told him once again he'll have to try and restrain himself from kissing me whilst practice was in session, in case anybody was about and saw us. Tom had me practicing in a safety harness the past couple of days, in case of risk of injury or something. We started off with the harness on, and I couldn't gain enough height to attempt to pull it off. I was getting seriously frustrated, how was I supposed to beat the Chinese if I couldn't up my difficulty? I sighed and got frustrated with not being able to pull it off, and sat in the harness doing nothing. Nathan obviously saw the frustration on my face, so he came over and unstrapped me from the harness.

"Nathan, what are you doing? You know Tom said I've got to keep this on." I said, wondering why he was unclipping me from the harness.

"Stuff what he says. Haley, I know you can do this. You're using the harness to hold you back, you know that while you're in this thing, you don't have to fully commit, and that's why you're not getting enough height. I know you can do it." He explains, smiling at me.

"Alright…fine. But if this goes wrong, you know who I'm blaming." I laughed, and stood in the corner of the mat. I started backwards as you do with a double Arabian, and then flung myself into the most powerful round off back-handspring I could pull off. While I was in the air, I managed to do a half turn, and gained enough height to include two front flips, and landed on the mat smoothly. I did it. I pulled off the double Arabian. I stood and looked at Nathan, who was standing beside me, and grinned like I'd never grinned before. All the work with the harness was useless. I could do it without it. I guess he was right. I was using the harness as an excuse not to commit, and without it on, I pulled it off. I went back to the corner I started in, and completed the move once again, to ensure it wasn't just a fluke. When I ended in the same position as I had done previously, I knew it wasn't just a fluke. I pulled it off. All the training had paid off. I couldn't contain the happiness that was inside me, and flung myself onto Nathan with a huge grin on my face. I hugged him as tight as I could, and then pulled away with a slight blush on my face. I didn't care who saw, he'd just helped me to pull off the move I never thought I could do. It was only friendly; nobody would suspect anything from it. "If we were alone, I'd so kiss you right now." I whispered into his ear, teasing him. He didn't say anything, the smirk on his face gave me all the information he could've told me. Now that I'd gotten the hang of the move as a single element, I had to incorporate it in my routine. I got the music I was using for my routine from Toms office, put it in the CD player, and began my routine. The double Arabian flowed perfectly and seamlessly into my routine, as if it had been there all along. I was so happy with myself; I managed to pull off a move that would up my degree of difficulty by at least 2 points. There wasn't a chance Rachel would beat me at the invitational in a few weeks. Her brain was full of air; it's a miracle she understands elite gymnastics as it is. As I continued practicing my floor routine, more and more people started to turn up to practice. Tom came over and stood by the floor, asking me to perform my newly reformed floor routine for him, including the double Arabian. I looked at Nathan for a moment, and he gave me a reassuring nod to encourage me to go ahead with it. I walked up to the corner, and began my routine. Once again, the newly learnt move fit in seamlessly into the routine, and I didn't even have to worry about it this time. As I landed the final move and stood up straight with my arms above my head, Tom slowly applauded me. He told me was proud of me, and I was going to prove Haley James isn't just a one time National champion. I'm the National champion, and I'm going to be the Olympic champion too. I smiled at Nathan as I finished and regained my breath, showing my appreciation to him for believing in me, and believing I could pull it off.

Practice ended a while later, and Nathan waited around for me afterwards for our tutoring session. He followed me out to the parking lot, and then told me he'd follow me back to my house. He checked to make sure the parking lot was completely empty, before lifting my hand to his lips and kissing it lightly. I giggled at his kind gesture as he let my hand drop again, and got in his car. As I got into my car, I smiled to myself, thinking about Nathan, and how kind he turned out to be. When we first met, I thought he was a jackass. Everybody did. But ever since he started tutoring me, he turned out to be a different person. It was as if he'd transformed into a nice guy, who wasn't a jackass who only thought about himself. It was a nice transformation though, I wasn't complaining about it. We pulled into my driveway in a matter of minutes, and as we got out, Nathan grabbed my hand once again and led me into the house. I dropped my gym bag onto the floor, telling him to do the same, and walked up to my bedroom with him closely following behind. Today I was tutoring Nathan in history, we were both following the same curriculum, and we both had a history test coming up. I grabbed my history text book from one of the many shelves in my room, and put it on top of the pile of papers containing information about the forefathers of American History. Nathan laughed at my organization, seeing all the papers and the books out on my desk. I turned on my computer and sat on the chair and watched as Nathan paced the room. He stopped just in front of my dresser and pointed to the many pictures on my wall.

"Are these all your brothers and sisters?" He asked.

"Yep, I'm the youngest. I don't think my parents know what to do with the silence." I laughed, as he sat down on my bed. I turned round to look at him as I finished writing a note on a piece of paper.

"So a month ago, do you think we'd be alone in your bedroom?" He asked, looking at me.

"Oh but we're not alone in my bedroom. We have the forefathers with us." I replied, picking up a text book and showing it to him before placing it back down on my desk.

"They can watch." He smirked.

"Nathan, can you just get serious for a minute?" I asked, wondering if serious was even possible with Nathan Scott.

"Oh I'm serious." He replied, taking my hand and pulling me over to him. "Come here." I moved to sit on his lap, as he took my hands and held them to my sides. I kissed him lightly to start with, and continued kissing him whilst he was kissing me back. After a few seconds we both moved backwards towards the top of my bed, without breaking the embrace we were locked in. He moved himself so he was leaning over me, and continued kissing me.

"My parents could come home." I laughed as he continued his attack, moving down to my neck.

"Come on." He replied, as I laughed again, wrapping my arms around his neck. I smiled into the kiss and carried on with the making out session. I felt his hands move further down my stomach and began fumbling with the buttons on my shirt.

"Come on, stop it." I said, trying to move his hands from my shirt. As he continued playing with the buttons, I spoke up again. "Come on." When he ignored me once again, I tried once again. "Don't. Hey!" I said, moving from underneath him and standing up next to my bed. So much for studying.

"What!" He questioned, obviously not releasing he'd over stepped the mark.

"I think you should go." I said, looking down and doing up my top.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked. "Haley." He said, as I walked towards my bedroom door and opened it. "Alright, Haley, I'm sorry. Haley we can study, its fine."

"I'd like you to go." I replied, to show how serious I was.

"Unbelievable." He muttered, as he walked out of the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the wait, but I haven't been getting many reviews lately. I spend my time writing because I enjoy it, mostly for the reviews. I'd really like it if you could review this chapter, it took me the longest to write. Thanks all the same, update soon.**

**Chapter 8**

Later that day, Tom had called us all back into the gym. When we arrived, we quickly realised this was no extra training session. Tom had secretly invited down Denver Elite club for a "friendly competition" as he put it. I couldn't believe that he'd done this without even telling us we had a competition. It means I had less time to prepare to beat Rachel than I originally thought. This was only a minor competition, nothing serious, even if I still wanted to win. I had to try and focus my mind on winning, specifically the beating Rachel part of it. This was exactly why the no-dating rule was in place, to stop us being distracted by issues with our love life while in competition. I couldn't believe that I'd broken it; I was completely focused on winning the gold. I was never supposed to like him, just get on with him for the sake of the tutoring sessions. Now he was completely distracting me from winning that medal. There weren't any medals in this case, just a sense of pride to establish. This was my home turf, my home grounds, my home gym; I had to show her it was mine. I had beaten her once, so why couldn't I do it again? I'm Haley James, the National champion; she's not Rachel Gatina the National champion. I looked around for Nathan, and I couldn't see him, so I made my way to the locker room to put my bag away. When I came out and there was still no sign of him, I decided to look for him outside. I saw him pull up and walk towards the door. I shouted after him.

"Nathan!" I yelled, hoping he'd hear me over the music he appeared to be listening too.

"Not now, Haley." He replied, walking towards the door.

"Okay, after the competition? Can we get some food and talk?" I asked.

"Haley, I said not now, okay?" He said bluntly, turning to face me.

"Why are you being like this?" I questioned, wanting to at least try to understand his mood.

"Because I can, okay? That's how it works; people are mean; life's a bitch." He replied once again, raising his voice a little.

"What is your problem?" I said, matching his tone whilst trying to stay calm.

"What's my problem? My problem is on the other side of that door. And in 5 minutes, if I'm not perfect, they're going to eat me alive. That's my problem." He said, opening the door and walking in. I followed him in a minute later, sighing as I did so.

After a few minutes, once everybody was ready and waiting, the competition started. We were now about half way through, and Nathan was up on the floor. This was his strongest event; he was already ahead of the boys from Denver, he just needed to maintain that higher score with this event. He stopped for a second in the middle of his routine, and looked as if he was losing focus and getting dizzy. Within seconds, he was lying on the floor not moving. I couldn't do anything but stand back and watch as the medical staff attended to him. When I heard one of them quietly say to the other that he wasn't breathing, I started to panic. Even if we were arguing, I didn't want him to be hurt. Tom called off the competition and said it would be best if we all went home and refocused our mind on gymnastics. Apparently he'd noticed a distraction in us lately, and didn't want us back until we'd focused our minds entirely gymnastics. I hated the thought that I wouldn't be at training in the morning, whether it was because I needed to train more to know how to beat Rachel or whether it was just because I wouldn't see Nathan was not yet clear to me. As I left the gym and clambered into my car, I saw Nathan being carted away on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance. I stood and watched as the ambulance left, and then headed for home. Driving back gave me some time to myself to think about things, as Tom said to refocus my mind on gymnastics. Obviously I could care for Nathan, worry about his health and wonder if he's okay, but I couldn't let myself be distracted by him. Even if he did care for me, even if he was the kindest, sweetest guy I'd ever known. He was one guy, there would be more when I'm older, and when I'm not a gymnast anymore. But it still didn't change the way I felt about him. When I arrived home, I dumped my bag in the hallway and raced to my room with my phone, hoping he had his with him. I called and called his mobile, hoping to find a way to reach him. Last I knew he was in hospital, unconscious. Maybe he didn't have his phone on him. Maybe he was rejecting my calls. Maybe he was ignoring my texts. Maybe he was still unconscious, how was I supposed to know? Nobody had told me anything, nobody knew anything. I didn't want to seem over friendly by visiting him in the hospital, I mean what if nobody else went? Nobody else would go. Nobody else liked Nathan; friendly or otherwise. Sure I'd be showing I cared if I turned up at the hospital, but I couldn't risk Tom finding out and thinking that we're anything more than friends. At this moment, that wouldn't be so bad, because that is all we are; friends. At least, we were friends for the moment. I didn't know how we were at the minute. He'd been ignoring me all day, and when he did eventually talk to me, he shouted and told me to go away. How could I have left it on a more negative note? If Nathan dies while he's in hospital, the last thing I would've said to him is 'What's your problem?' Nothing kind or romantic like I really like you, you're so cute, you're kind, and you're a great tutor, nothing like that. Just a simple, cold and harsh 'what's your problem!' What a great way to say goodbye to someone. How was I going to pull off the double Arabian if Nathan wasn't there to help me? It seemed like I was only capable when I knew he was watching me. Maybe it's because I knew he believed in me, because he knew I could do it, or because I just liked his attention. If he wasn't there, I may as well quit gymnastics now. I'd never be the gymnast I am now if he doesn't make it.

Time passed very slowly over the next couple of hours. I couldn't make out any sense of time; one minute seemed like one hour. I eventually checked the clock to see hours had passed and it was now 7pm. There was still no word from Tom or Nathan, which could only mean two things. Either Nathan was completely fine and he was at home resting, or he'd taken a turn for the worse and they were trying to help him. It could be either of those options, but I didn't know which. I wish somebody would give me some kind of information. Anything that would put my mind at ease. Sick of waiting, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I grabbed my phone and dialled Nathans number. Typically it went straight to voicemail. I tried again and again to get through to anything but his voicemail, but to no avail. I eventually decided if he wasn't going to pick up, I may as well just leave a message and hope he gets it.

"Hey…it's me. I guess I'm just worried about you. I really hate the way we ended things." I started, playing with the bracelet on my wrist that he'd given me.

"Me too." A voice from behind me said. I turned around to see Nathan standing in my doorway. I stood and stared at him in disbelief, as if this wasn't real. Maybe it wasn't real. But it had to be real. How could it not be real? "Nobody answered the door."

"They're gone for the weekend." I said quietly, still in complete disbelief. I pulled the phone from my chest and hung up, throwing it onto my bed. I turned around once again to face him. "How are you?" I said, wondering why he was here.

"Not so good." He replied, his voice quiet and soft. "Can I?" he asked, moving towards me with his arms open. I didn't say anything; I silently accepted his offer by wrapping my arms around his back, silently comforting him. "I made a lot of mistakes, Haley." He pulled away and stood back to look at me. "Sometimes, because of my dad, it's not my choice." He moved forward slowly and sat himself down on the end of my bed. I took at as my place to sit next to him, so I did. I sat and I listened to him as he explained everything to me. "I just can't do it anymore." He said, looking scared.

"It's okay." I said, trying not to get the words caught in my throat as I watched the vulnerable boy in front of me open up for once.

"No. No, it's not okay. I'm not okay. When I fell to the floor tonight, I was so scared. I was so terrified. Then I saw you. I promised myself that if I could just get up, and walk over to you, and tell you how much I need you, and how much I want you, then nothing else matters." He explained, looking at me. Nobody said anything, but I shook my head in response, stroked his head a little, and then leaned forward to press my lips against his. I placed my hands either side of his face while I kissed him, and then pulled away slowly looking into his eyes, stroking the side of his cheek with my thumb as I did so. I looked at him and didn't see anything. I got up and walked towards my door thinking I did something wrong to upset him further. As I walked towards it, I heard him call after me quietly. "Haley." He said, and I turned around willing to find out what he wanted. "Can I stay with you tonight?" He asked, looking so vulnerable, so afraid, I couldn't say no. I couldn't say anything. Instead I just turned around, and shut the door to my bedroom slowly and quietly, before making my way back to Nathan, and preparing for the night ahead of us.

**_reviews please?_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Want to say thanks for the reviews, I know its been a while since I updated, but I've been having a really hard time lately, and I'm still not completely happy. Hopefully things should sort themselves out soon, but for now I can't be sure. Anywho, enough about my life.**

**Your reviews mean everything to me, knowing what you think is the highlight of being a writer. Constructive or positive, I really don't mind, just as long as it's a review. **

**Review replies:**

**Jess/Daddy: Thank you very much! I love you daddy! :) xxx**

**othfan1919: I realise that was a problem previously, and hopefully I've sorted that out for you now. Thank you for the review, I hope you continue to read and review! :) **

**Becky/Wifey: Thanks wifey! :) If I knew how I wrote like this I'd teach you, but it just comes to me really. Sad as it may sound, it's just a gift. Hahaha. I love you wifey! Happy anniversary! :) xxxx**

**Chapter 9**

The next morning, we both awoke with my head resting on his chest and his arms wrapped protectively around me. It was nice to just be able to enjoy the bliss and the peace of just being together without having to worry about getting up for practice or getting caught. I smiled up at him as he smiled down at me, and cuddled into him a bit more, eager to be as close as I could to him. The thought of my parents coming home and seeing us together did worry me slightly, but not enough to make a huge deal out of it.

"So if my parents come home, I'm going to pretend like I have amnesia. So don't freak out if I pretend not to know you." I laughed. He stroked my shoulder and part of my upper back to comfort my worries, and I smiled once again enjoying the feel of his arms around me.

"I think I should get back to the madness." He said, not making an attempt to move. I moaned a little and curled up to him even more, not wanting him to go. "But hey, if I could, I'd stay here all day." He smiled, and I looked up at him smiling back. I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips quickly.

"Okay." I smiled, leaning back so he could get up. "Nathan, listen. About last night…" I started, before he interrupted.

"Hey, it's not about sex with me, okay?" When you're ready, I'll be too." He smiled once again, and I knew he was sorry. I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him slowly once again. He was kind and gentle, and didn't push me any further than I was ready to go. He kissed me back and smiled as I lay back down and went back to sleep, dreaming happily of my life with Nathan.

_Hours Later_

A few hours later, I got up and dressed, and headed to the local café which Lucas' mom owned. I worked there sometimes for a bit of extra money, and I got to meet up with Lucas as well. It was more of a social session than work; Karen didn't mind too much as long as I did my work and didn't spend the whole shift slacking off. While I was at the café, Nathans mom was working. Towards the end of my shift, I had an idea to attract more customers to the café, an open mic night. Karen had always thought it was a great idea, and I knew she wouldn't mind me pulling it off. I got Deb to help me out with organizing it, so I wasn't alone in doing it all. Karen was away at a cooking school in Italy for six weeks, to learn the art of the trade. Deb had suggested that she run it by Lucas first, to make sure he was okay with us trying something new, seeing as he was the closest to Karen we could get. I hinted that maybe I should talk to Lucas, seeing as he doesn't come around here much anymore. She replied with that's one of the reasons she wanted to talk to him herself. I took off my waist apron and folded it up, before telling her I had a study session with Nathan. To my surprise she smiled at me as I mentioned Nathans name.

"Haley, I'm glad you're seeing Nathan. He's lucky to have someone like you." She smiled.

"Thanks, Deb, that means a lot to us. But you know because of the no dating rule we're not supposed to be seeing each other. So can you keep it a secret? Nobody else figured it out yet." I smiled back, surprised at her caring nature. She nodded in response to my question. "Bye." I said, as I walked out the café and towards Nathans. When I arrived, nobody was answering the door so I just walked in. "Nathan?" I called out. Nathan then came through the front door, and looked just as confused as I did when he saw his bag on the floor, packed for a weekend away. Nathans father, Dan, then proceeded to explain that Nathan was going on a weekend holiday with him to Charlotte. Nathan argued back by saying he can't just spring things on him, he had plans this weekend. Dan had replied by saying that he was going to come on this trip with him whether he was interested in going or not. Nathan apologized to me for the late cancellation of our plans, but he apparently now had other plans. I let him know that it was okay, I would hang with Lucas for the weekend and he should enjoy his weekend away. He waited until Dan had left the room and then kissed me lightly to thank me for being so understanding, and then left the house with Dan. I had no problem with it, but I was worried for him.

His dad was the reason he'd collapsed yesterday, he puts pressure on him. Sometimes, the pressure gets too much for Nathan to handle, and that's when things like yesterday happen. I didn't want him to be put under any more pressure, not by his dad, or his mom, or anybody. He didn't deserve it. He may have been a jackass in the beginning, but since we started tutoring each other, he'd changed. He had completely changed. He wasn't the guy he was 3 months ago. He didn't deserve to be pressured to the point of his collapse. But maybe a little time with his dad would sort all this pressure out. Hopefully he didn't have to come home early because he had a row with his dad or something. I wanted him to have a good weekend away without any dramas of training for the big meet in China in a couple of weeks.

A couple of hours had passed since Nathan had left for the weekend, so I decided to head back to the café and design some posters for the open mic night tomorrow. I couldn't believe how terrible they turned out; it's fair to say I have a serious lack of artistic ability. Once I finished the first three posters, I decided to give Nathan a call and see how he was getting on with his dad.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He said.

"Oh just marveling at my lack of artistic ability. How's the trip with Dan going?" I replied.

"Well it's going about as well as to be expected." He said, sounding as if he was bored already.

"I wish you were here. We're doing this open mic thing at the café tomorrow." I told him, missing his presence already.

"So I'm gone for 2 hours and you go all Hollywood on me." He says, and I can practically hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah that's me glamour girl. Hey do you want to say hi to your mom?" I asked, wondering if he wanted to talk to her.

"No, its bad timing." He sighs. "Look let me give you a call back, alright?" He asks rhetorically, and I know he will do later.

Deb had obviously overheard our conversation and knew I was talking to Nathan as when I hung up; she walked over to where I was sitting and asked how things seemed to be going. I told her there was no gun play or screaming, so I guessed pretty well. I told her he'd said to say hi so that she didn't feel left out. She then noticed the flyers I'd been making for the open mic night.

"Haley, these flyers…" she started, and I stopped her before she could go any further.

"Suck? Yeah I know. I've tried everything." I said, before getting an idea. "Hang on." I said as I got up and ran out the door and across the street. I'd seen Peyton through the corner of my eye in the café and knew she had a much better artistic ability than I did, and I knew she wouldn't mind helping out while practice was cancelled. She gave her approval and told me the only way to fix it was burn these flyers and start over. I laughed at her ideas, before hugging her and giving her my thanks before heading back to the café.

After my shift, I headed home to call Nathan again. He hadn't called me like he said he would so I decided to take things into my own hands. The conversation was short lived however, as Nathan pretty much told me exactly what he told me before. The timing was bad, and he'd call me later. He hung up once again and I started to wonder if everything was as well as he told me it was.

I went over to Peyton's the next day to see how she'd got on with the artistic side of things. She'd drawn the most fantastic posters, they were sure to attract more people to the café that night. We went to a local printing office, and got photocopies cheap. Peyton knows the manager or something. Once we'd got our copies, all on bright yellow paper in black ink to stand out, we headed out around town to spread the word. I hadn't heard from Nathan since last night, and I figured things were going okay with his dad, and I didn't want to ruin that, so I left him to it. If he needed anything he'd call me. Peyton and I were talking about all sorts of things; whether she was planning to come tonight, the argument she'd recently had with Lucas and how Brooke didn't understand how hard it was for her to see them all friendly and jokey.

I'd tried to talk to Lucas about Peyton earlier that day, and he wasn't having any of it. Apparently Peyton had told him that they wouldn't be right for each other in a relationship, and he'd taken it lightly. He didn't seem to care very much; he seemed more into Brooke these days. But Brooke had got her eye on a new transfer from Denver. His name was Julian Baker, and Brooke had been relentless with her flirting. She tried to keep it to a minimum around Tom, she knew he'd freak if he found out she was flirting with anybody. It all worked out into a huge triangle of flirting and relationships and I warned Peyton to just keep her distance, because if Tom ever found out she'd be kicked out of Hillview. I kept thinking to myself that I was a hypocrite, I was telling my best friend to stay away from boys and all the drama that they involve themselves in, but yet I was the one in a relationship with Nathan Scott.

I knew the consequences of being found out, but I still found myself in the relationship, doing nothing about the possible consequences. He made me so happy, and he made me feel special like nobody else had ever done before. I couldn't even tell my best friends how he made me feel, because any one of them could tell another person, who could easily tell Tom. I knew someday he was going to find out, but I couldn't have that day be any time soon. I was enjoying the bliss of being with Nathan too much to have it stop now.

The day went by pretty much uneventful, no call from Nathan, and all Peyton and I did was spread posters around town. Hopefully this gets business going tonight, and we get more customers, else this whole thing will have been a waste of time.

As the evening approached, I headed to the café to start my extra shift for tonight's open mic night. When I arrived, there were already crowds of people there. I pulled on my apron and started getting people drinks. When I came out front I saw Peyton, looking around for someone, and I guessed she was looking for me. I joked with her about helping me serve tonight, and then told her to have some fun and I'll catch up with her later. I headed out back again to escape the crowds for a bit, and tried to call Nathan once again. Yet again, there was no answer. As I tried to call his phone a second and third time, I turned around at the sound of a voice.

"The jerk never called you back, did he?" Nathan said, as he enveloped me in a warm embrace. "Believe me you don't want to talk to him anyway."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, smiling as we pulled apart.

"Look, I'm sorry…" He trailed off.

"You know what?" I asked rhetorically as I leant up to kiss his lips and told him it was good to have him home. He explained about how his dad had yet again made him feel weak and pathetic, and he stood up to him and told him he was leaving. Dan stayed in Charlotte while he came home, proving his worthiness of being a father to Nathan. He tried to compare it to a situation in reality, where he feels like he's caught in a riptide of his father's wrath, and the harder he tries to get out, the harder it is for him to keep from drowning. I told him he needed to steer clear of the water for a while.

At that moment his mom walked in with some plates she'd collected from out front, surprised to see her son back early. She'd gone through the same motions as myself and asked her what he's doing here and why he's back early, only to get the same reply as I did, that he didn't want to talk about it and he'd tell her the full story later. Nathan and I spent the rest of the night together; even while I was working he sat at the counter and watched me serve people. He really was the cutest.

When I finished my shift, Lucas had asked us both if we felt like a friendly competition back at Hillview. He'd spoken to Tom who'd given the keys to him, trusting his reasoning for wanting to be at the gym later than he had to be. Nathan agreed to the challenge, saying he needed extra training. Lucas reminded him he didn't need to train, this was only a little bit of fun, and he could train seriously again in a few days when Tom re-opened the gym for training. We all left the café in the hands of Deb; then headed to the gym for a bit of fun. Nathan and I decided that in honor of the Hillview open evening coming up; we'd get a head start on our routines. Seeing as we were the gold and silver medalist of Hillview; we decided to choreograph a routine on the floor that was more artistic than anything either of us had done before. We decided to go all out for this occasion; costumes, make up, props, the works. We wanted this to be the best open evening we'd ever had. The National committee was coming to see the girls at Hillview perform, and we had to be on top form for them. Three Hillview girls made it into the national team; more than any other club. This event would decide which of us would be going to China and which would be staying home. If we didn't get this right, it could result in us being left behind for the team, and after seeing Rachel Gatina lead the girls that made the team for the last big meet in London; I wasn't going to let that happen again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Just a quick note, I've got so much to do over the next couple of weeks, and I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to write. Hopefully, it shouldn't affect this fic too much, as it is mainly all during school time, but either way. **

**Also, I'm not getting many reviews lately. I don't know if you guys don't like this fic anymore or just read and don't review, but if its the second option, could you PLEASE review! Reviews mean the absoloute world to me, its really what I write for; to see what people think. I've seen a lot of people do this before, so I was thinking, if you have an account on here and you review my fic, I'll send you a preview of the next chapter? Only if you want me too, though. And only if I get more reviews. **

**Review Reply: **

**Mazzy: Thank you so much for your review! It means alot to know you like my fic! It's majorly based on season 1 as you can tell, so I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review! xx**

**Finally, a quick A/N - I know this is irrelevant but I was wondering, I was thinking about starting a sequel to my other fic on here, 'The Waiting Room'. It's a Quinn and Clay fic, it was a One shot and I was recently told some people would like me to write a sequel. I'd quite like to do it, it would basically be based around Q&C in Season 8. But I want to know what you think! Let me know, review and leave me a note about this!**

**Chapter 10**

A couple of weeks had passed since the incident with Nathans collapse. Most things had gone back to normal, all except for Nathan. Since the accident he's seemed to be a different person. Maybe not in the best ways either. He trained with me for that one night after the accident, and then hasn't wanted to train since. We managed to get through open evening; even though Nathan wasn't on his top form. He knew he had to be, I didn't understand why he was acting like it was no big deal.

We had another tutoring session today, and I had him come over to mine for it. It went by pretty uneventfully, just the usual make out session slipped in without a choice on my behalf, not that was I complaining. His small sweet lips were as soft as velvet and when he kissed me, I forgot about the world around me. It was like we were in our own sanctuary in each other's company. Just his presence was enough to overwhelm me. Whenever we saw each other, I knew he had made an effort to impress me. He wore the aftershave that I picked out as my favourite, and he always bought that one when he ran out, specifically for me. I knew it was quite expensive, so I always felt really guilty whenever I smelt it, because I knew he'd spent his own money on essentially, impressing me. Just looking at Nathan made my heart race and thump against my chest. When he held me close to him; my heart felt like it was beating erratically, and I was sure he heard it beating sometimes.

Whenever we kissed; desire ignited the world around us as we become lost in a sea of lust and love. It was a spicy, powerful combination that sent waves of passion crashing over us. The rest of the world is engulfed in our lustful burning flames as our kisses grow more urgent; rushes. There was always a sense of guilt involved in our kisses; we both knew it shouldn't be happening; neither of us did anything to stop it from happening. If we were ever found out to be dating and kissing; interacting in the way that we do with each other; we'd be surely expelled from Hillview and forced to lead a normal life of a teenager that didn't revolve around gymnastics. I didn't think that either of us would be able to survive it; gymnastics is all we've known since the moment we could walk.

Near to the end of our tutoring session, I asked Nathan if he'd finished reading the French book I gave him, and he replied by telling me that he'd rented the movie instead. He said he didn't have time to sit around and read the book, but I told him renting the movie of a book isn't going to help him pass his subjects. I knew he'd gone to see a therapist earlier in the week, and he hadn't told me anything about it yet. I worried that it was eating away inside of him, not telling anybody how he felt, so I suggested the option of a therapist to him. He hadn't been ready to talk about his experience just yet, and I didn't want to force him into telling me something he wasn't ready to talk about, but I didn't want to just leave him to it and have him keep it to himself. I asked him if he was ever going to tell me what happened with the therapist and what they'd said, and to my surprise he revealed more than enough to me.

He revealed that the therapist had asked him whether he really wanted gymnastics, and if he did, whether he wanted to do it so competitively. I asked him what he had given as a response, and he said he didn't know what to say. He referred to the last couple of weeks without it as a kind of test run to see how he coped without it, and he think he coped relatively well. Practice started up again today, so we didn't have so much free time for tutoring and just hanging out together, but Nathan wasn't so sure. I asked him what he meant when he said he wasn't sure, and he replied by saying he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to be a competitive gymnast anymore. It was a huge risk to take, dropping out of gymnastics. Especially when you're a silver medalist; people start asking questions; and that's when the rumors start. Nobody is ever completely sure why such a great gymnast would quit, especially at a young age. Nathan was considering quitting, and said that if he did he might actually be able to have a normal life.

I asked him what he'd do, and he said he didn't know exactly what he'd do, but he'd at least have some time to figure it out. He gave me that cheeky grin of his before telling me he could think of better things to do with his time, and leant forward to press his lips against mine. I let him know my thoughts on the matter, and told him I thought he was really brave to even consider rebuilding himself in such a dramatic way; especially since gymnastics is all he's ever known. I could never do what he was doing, gymnastics was my life; I could never give it up. He smiled at me once more, without the added cheekiness, and told me that he thought I could do it if I set my mind to it. That's how I won the gold medal after all; focus and determination. We lost all sense of time while we were having this conversation; it took a new direction and just consisted of Nathan staring into my eyes and me staring right back. We were lost inside our own little world; not caring about the world around us. After a while, he checked his watch and realized time was getting closer to practice; meaning tutoring was over and I had to get ready for practice. He kissed me once more before he left, letting it last and leaving the lingering taste of his lips on mine before he stood up and headed out the door, leaving me to smile to myself as I got ready for practice.

After practice; Nathan was waiting for me outside the gym. He hadn't turned up to practice because he was still trying to figure out whether he wanted to compete in gymnastics anymore. I knew he wasn't going to turn up; but there was a tiny part of me that still held the hope that he would. I got myself changed and headed out to the parking lot to meet Nathan. I walked there slowly; seeing him talking to Lucas and not looking at all sarcastic. I wondered if it was even possible for the pair of them to have a civilized conversation; I must've been hallucinating. I walked over to Nathan and questioned him about talking to Lucas. I couldn't hide the fact that I was dating Nathan from Brooke, Peyton and Lucas, they were my best friends. I told them and warned them not to say a word, and I trusted that they would keep to their word. Nathan took me to the beach, just outside of his father's beach house. Dan had gone to Charlotte for a couple of days on a business trip; so Nathan got the spare key from under the doormat to the beach house, and went inside to get us some drinks. He locked up and came back out with an armful of alcoholic drinks for us. I knew drinking wasn't a good idea, I had practice in the morning and I'd never really had a proper alcoholic drink before; but I went with it anyway.

It didn't take long for me to get completely drunk; my body wasn't use to it, so it only took a few drinks for me to be drunk. Nathan pointed out that he'd never seen me like this, and I smartly replied 'well now you have', giving him a light, messy kiss on the lips that turned into us making out on the empty beach. Nathan decided that just in case anyone was to come along, we best go inside. So we stood up, and Nathan gave me a piggyback to the stairs. I told him to hold on a minute because I was getting dizzy, and when he stopped, he looked up to see his father standing further along the walkway. He whispered to me 'it was nice knowing you' as I slid down his back; as if it would hide me from Dan. He stood in his place, looking like he was of high authority, and didn't move as we made our way up the stairs to where he was standing. He forcefully dragged us both to the car and told us he was taking us both home. He was complaining to Nathan about the big competition against Denver next week and this is how he prepares for it when he should be training. I moaned all the way to the car and in the car about feeling dizzy and sick. He didn't listen to me, and as he sat in the front seat and told Nathan about how much his mother would love him being drunk while under her care, I felt a sick feeling come over me. I leaned forward and threw up over the top of his trouser leg. I didn't mean it to happen, but I couldn't control it. He was just there and in the firing line as it were when it happened. He muttered a few curse words and then dropped me home.

The next day, Nathan and I had another tutoring session at my house. It was getting later by the minute; and I started to think Nathan wouldn't show up. When he walked through my front door and sat down next to me, I smiled and kissed him lightly as he sat down and told him I was starting to doubt he'd come. He told me he lost track of time and apologised for it. I told him it was fine, and he asked me if I was still hung over from yesterday's antics. I told him I wasn't so bad, but not as bad as his dad's pants. He rubbed my back and laughed as he reminisced on the memory of me throwing up on his father the day before. I tried to change the subject by convincing him to help me with some algebra. He tried to convince me out of it by saying there was a show on at the theatre down town, and we could take the train. He promised he wouldn't get me drunk; I laughed as I gave in, knowing he would have found a way to convince me if I said no. I told him firmly that we were doing equations on the train and he didn't decline. As I picked up my things and put them in my bag, Nathan picked up my most recent test. He thought it was one of his, and I tried to convince him it was from a girl that I tutored, but he knew it was mine. He seemed shocked that I had gotten an F on my most recent pop quiz, and then looked at it in disbelief. I grabbed it from him and put it in my bag as I told him that I could make up the grade and I'd be fine. He still sat there and as I walked around to the left side of him, I told him it was shocking I was human, I know, kissed his cheek and pulled him up, heading for the front door.

Nathan and I had a great time at the theatre; he bought me ice cream in the interval and took me out for dinner that night in the town. He really was making an effort with me, and it was sweet. He wasn't the jackass I'd known just a month earlier. He hadn't turned up to practice again the next day; he was still taking time out to think, but yet again he was waiting for me outside of the gym. I gave him a hug when I walked over to him, and then he said he needed to talk to me. I thought he was joking and asked if he was planning our next road trip, but he said he needed to talk to me seriously. It turns out he wanted to apologise to me for getting me drunk and ditching tutoring sessions over the past couple of days. I told him it was okay and I'd had fun, and then he reminded me of the F grade I got. I sighed and thought for a minute before telling him that I make my own choices and I chose to be with him. He said that was the problem, he liked to be with me too, but the real Haley. The one he got all crushed out on, in his words. He said he didn't want me to change, because he liked me for me, and he liked that someone like me, saw something in someone like him. I smiled and as we sat in his car, I looked around to see if anybody was around, before leaning in and kissing him slowly.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Okay just a quick A/N - I only got one review on the last chapter, and fair enough, I am grateful I got one at all, but I really would like a few more. If you read this, it would really mean so much if you reviewed it for me. I am doing previews for those who review with an account! If you don't have an account, I can't do much for you, but maybe I'll figure out a way. This week has been so busy for me, and I've not really had a chance to post! I apologise for the long wait, I won't keep you waiting much longer anymore. My update day is either going to be a Friday or a Saturday, if you could tell me what you think in a review, what works best for you, etc, that would be grand! I write all my stuff well in advance, so right now I'm working on Chapter 15. I wondered what you guys thought should happen in the next couple of chapters? It's majorly based around Season 1 of the show, but I'm open to other ideas too. If you've got any, I'd love to hear about them in a review! So that's my A/N over, sorry it dragged! If anyone has any ideas, leave me a review! :)**

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**Oh and finally, a quick review reply:**

**othfan1919: I know I already replied to your review, but I thought I'd reply again! hehe! Thank you SO much for your comments; they really do mean the world to me! Thanks for your awesome comment, not a lot of people approve of my writing, but I'm glad you do. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by not writing in paragraphs, because I'm not entirely sure on how else to write..maybe you could tell me in your next review? Ha, just assuming you review! Thank you for your comment, I'm glad you like what I'm doing. If there's anything you think I can do better or you have any ideas for me, please feel free to let me know in a review! Thanks for your comments once again!**

**Alright..on with the fic, here's Chapter 11! :)  
**

**Chapter 11**

I was working my normal shift at the café, and another customer came in. I was taking some dishes out to the back, so as I placed them on the counter to take his order, I asked him if he wanted a table or over the counter. He told me he was actually looking for Karen, but I told him she was in Italy for cooking school. He asked about how 'that boy of hers' was doing, and I guessed he meant Lucas, so I told him he was doing well and asked if he wanted to leave a message as Karen calls in every once in a while, and he said no, just to tell her an old friend stopped by. He left the café without leaving a name or anything to let Karen know who he was. I thought nothing else of it, and concentrated on the rest of my shift.

After my shift had finished, Nathan and I went for a walk around town before practice. He told me about a family meal that was happening later that night, and how much he was dreading it. He'd described it as a possible massacre waiting to happen. He liked his grandma; she'd stood up for him against his dad when he was younger. He told me he didn't like his grandfather, and told me to imagine where his dad had come from. I thought about how scary his dad was, and reckoned his grandfather must be even worse. We walked along the street without uttering a word to each other for a minute; before Nathan spoke.

"You should come tonight, maybe you'll make everyone behave" He said, looking at me as I looked back at him.

"I'll come if you want me too." I laughed, thinking he was serious.

"No, I wasn't serious. I wouldn't put you through that." He replied, maybe this dinner was going to be worse than I thought.

"Of course, if you're asking, my answers yes." I smiled, knowing he'd need somebody to keep him sane at this family dinner.

"Well then I'm asking." He smiled back, giving in to me.

"Well then I'm coming." I replied, walking closer to him, giving him a quick hug before letting go. I got ready for practice while I was at the café, so Nathan had decided he would drop me off to practice today, so he got to spend a bit more time with me. He walked me to the car and held open my door for me as usual, before getting into his side of the car and driving me to Hillview. The journey was short, and the conversation was falling around whether Nathan was ever going to come back to practice.

I hadn't attempted my double Arabian on floor as of yet; ever since Nathan left for some time out I hadn't been able to focus properly. I couldn't let it show through; I had to show the National Committee that I was ready for the big meet in China, and I should be the one to lead the team; not Rachel. Tom had told me yesterday that if I didn't pick up my drive and determination in practice; I would be buried at National practice. I knew what he meant really; I had to attempt the double Arabian. It was one thing pulling it off a few times before; but I had to show that I was consistent; determined; focused. I didn't want to end my relationship with Nathan; he'd been nothing but good to me. But I couldn't let him distract me from my dream. I was going to be the World champion; I would be the Olympic champion.

We sat in the car park for a minute, discussing the events that lay ahead. When I saw the others starting to pull up around us; I made sure nobody was looking; before giving Nathan a quick peck on the lips and told him to pick me up after practice so I could get ready. I gave him another kiss, making it last for a bit longer this time, and smiled before telling him I'd see him after practice. As I got out of the car and walked towards the door of the gym, I looked back to Nathan who subtly blew me a kiss before driving off.

As soon as I entered the gym, I was greeted by my friends waiting for me. Lucas was staring at me with a questioning look, Brooke had a sly grin on her face and Peyton was trying not to laugh. I asked them all what they were doing standing around when they could be training, and nobody gave me an answer. I questioned them again, emphasizing that I wanted an answer. Brooke was the first to speak up.

"Tutor girl! How could you not tell us?" She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down.

"Brooke, what on earth are you on about?" I replied; looking at her with a confused expression surely painted onto my face.

"You and boy toy! You're totally going on a date tonight, aren't you?" She exclaimed once more. How could she know about this?

"No, Brooke, we're not." I responded, slightly panicked that she knew.

"Tutor girl! Why do you even try to hide it! You're so hooking up with Boy Toy." She replied.

"Brooke, listen. I'm not 'hooking up' with Nathan. I'm not doing anything with Nathan. He's tutoring me; that's all, okay?" I said, looking up at Lucas and Peyton. If Brooke could figure it out, these two would be in on it too. "The same goes to you two. Nothing is going on between Nathan and I. You need to keep quiet, because if Tom gets any rumor that we're dating, he'll freak. We're not dating, but who am I to say he'll believe that? Just keep quiet, okay? For me, please?"

"Alright, fine. You're no fun. Anyway when is Nathan coming back to practice?" She questioned, looking at me as if I'd know the answer. I told her I didn't have a clue and to stop gossiping so I could get ready and train. It sounded a little harsher than I intended it too, so I apologised to Brooke and headed to the locker room to put my bag and tracksuit away, so I could start training. I walked out to the floor once I'd discarded the tracksuit and bag I was wearing to my locker, and set my eye on the floor. I had to step it up. I couldn't keep putting it off because Nathan wasn't there to encourage me. As I walked to the corner of the mat where I'd be starting my routine, I thought about how Nathan would encourage me if he were there. I know he would. He may not be there right now, but he's there in my heart.

I stood in the corner, waiting for my music to start, waiting for that beat to kick in, waiting for my time to shine again. As the music began, I started to move. Running enough to gain enough power to start my opening tumble: a double layout punch front, I performed and executed the move perfectly, as I knew I would. A short dance sequence to move from one corner to the next before I could perform my next tumbling pass was then performed, pointed toes where possible, hands and fingers pointed shapely where possible, no bent knees or flexed feet to earn a possible deduction. Once I reached the next corner, it was time. I stood and did a small motion sequence with my arms before giving myself the best run up I could, before performing my double Arabian.

I closed my eyes and imagined Nathan standing beside the mat, spurring me on and encouraging me to do well. _I can do this. _I thought to myself, before executing the move better than I ever had done before. I had to keep my emotions in check else I could get points deducted for losing focus. I silently cheered that I'd managed to pull it off without Nathan standing there, before performing another clean, well-executed dance sequence to move around a bit more, before moving into the corner for my final tumbling pass of the routine, a back flip into a triple twist. As expected, I pulled it off without a hitch. To complete my routine, another short dance sequence on the floor, finishing off with a pose.

I stood up as I regained my breath, and smiled to myself knowing that I didn't need Nathan to pull off my routine. I squealed in excitement as I realised Lucas was watching me instead. I ran over to him and hugged him in excitement, grinning widely like a Cheshire cat as he picked me up and span me round, telling me how proud he was of me for pulling it off; especially since he knew I'd been having with it lately. He put me down and let me get back to practice, but not before telling me he was really proud that I'd pulled it off, and I'd managed to do my routine better than I ever had before. Tom then congratulated me on doing so well; but said I needed to just clean up my transitions and dance sequences a little, but other than that; I was sure to win the gold on floor at the China meet. If I made the team, that is. I may well be the National Champion; but it didn't stop the National Committee not taking me to London for the last meet. None of us Hillview girls made it into the team they took to London. We gave the practice of our lives, but they were playing the game by their rules, not the rules that should be.

There was no reason that we didn't get to go to London; other than the National Committee playing the game by their rules. Surely, I should've gone, I'm the National Champion. They can't pick the 6 best girls out of the 12 on the National team without picking the National Champion. What sort of sense does that make? It doesn't make sense. China was probably going to be the biggest meet of the year before Worlds, I had to compete. The girls that go to China will be seen as the ones to watch at the Olympics, and if I don't compete, I'll be seen as Haley James; the girl that won Nationals by fluke.

It wasn't a fluke. I worked so hard to win Nationals, for years; it had been Brooke, Peyton and I as the top 3 that went to Nationals. It was always that order. One year, I came second at National tryouts. Peyton was shocked; she didn't think I had it in me. Brooke was a strong gymnast, one of the best, if not the best. Her spot at number one was always seen as untouchable, but I managed to take it from her. I worked my ass off to make sure that I placed at Nationals; I wasn't going to lose to Rachel Gatina again. Every year, she placed, and if I did, I came below her. So to win Nationals was a huge step for me. I didn't think I had it in me; apparently I did. My gold medal hung proudly with all the other medals and trophies I'd won during my time in gymnastics in my room.

National Team practice was tomorrow and Wednesday. The first day was just like practice; the National Team Coach would act as our Tom for the session, and the second day the National Committee would be watching the practice; to make their final selection for China. If we didn't compete to the best of our ability during both practice sessions; our place on the team that goes to China would be in jeopardy. Considering I hadn't made the team that went to London; and they triumphed just fine without me; I had to prove they made the wrong choice leaving me behind. If I wanted my place on the team that went to China; I had to prove myself. I kept practicing my floor routine, it needed work. I hadn't been practicing it for the past couple of days, and I'd missed out on vital time to perfect it. If I didn't get it up to scratch now, I never would. After a while; Tom convinced me to practice on another apparatus, specifically the beam. The beam was Peyton's strong point, she was known as Queen of the Beam. It was no wonder why; nobody should be able to do what she can do on four inches of wood.

Practice had gone quicker than I thought, and when Tom announced the end of the session, I stared at the clock in disbelief. Time had gone quicker than I thought; Nathan would be outside waiting for me as usual. I finished up my routine on the uneven bars before dismounting and heading to the locker room. I didn't bother putting my tracksuit back on; I didn't want to keep Nathan waiting. I grabbed my bag from my locker, slung it over my shoulder, and headed out to Nathan. The car park was pretty much empty when I got to Nathans car, so we were safe for a while. I gave him a quick kiss and smiled, showing him my appreciation for picking me up.

"By the looks of you, I'm guessing you had a good practice today." He joked, pulling out of the car park.

"Very funny." I replied sarcastically, I knew I looked a state but I couldn't keep him waiting. "But, yes, it was great. I pulled off my double Arabian and the rest of my floor routine cleaner than I ever have before, for the first time without you there coaching me."

"Oh so you don't need me after all! I guess I'll just have to stop being your private coach then won't I." He laughed, pulling into the driveway of my house.

"No, you can't stop coaching me! I've only managed to do so well because of you. You made me better." I smiled, leaning in to kiss him. He granted my request and brought our lips together with the slightest of touches, before pulling me onto his lap and kissing me slowly. I kissed him back with just as much passion, smiling into his mouth as I did so. He took my hair down from my tightly pulled, gelled back ponytail I tied it up in for practice and ran his fingers through my hair as we kissed. As much as I was enjoying the make out session in his car, anybody could've walked out and seen us, so I pulled away. "Come on, I need to get ready for this dinner my boyfriend invited me too." I laughed, grabbing my bag and hopping off his lap, out of the car.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, just a quick A/N, I kind of think I'm losing motivation to write this at the moment, and even though I write well in advance, and I'm on like, Chapter 17 now I think, I don't want to let you guys down. There's just so much going on right now and it's just like woah, hold on a minute, please slow down! Ha! Anywho, I won't stop posting, I promise you that now, but I would kind of like more reviews. I didn't get any on the last chapter and usually I don't post until I have at least one, but I guess I'm just not getting them. So I really would like you to review this one and future chapters, I think that's part of my motivation problem. Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Thanks to my newly acquired Beta "othfan1919" for reading over this chapter for me, and all my other chapters. I really hate reading my own work back for some reason, so I'm glad you're doing it for me, ha! Thank you! :)**

**Chapter 12**

As I pulled Nathan through the back door to avoid any possible incidents with my dad; he pulled my hand to stop me moving any further. I looked at him confused as to why he was stopping me; we couldn't risk my dad finding out about us. Noticing the look upon my face, he explained that nobody was here but us, and I didn't need to be so worried and uptight about being caught all the time. He moved forwards, towards me, forcing me backwards against the kitchen door. I asked him once more what he was doing, and he said he was doing something for us and us only, instead of doing something for us that's playing it safe around other people.

I succumbed to the intimidation that was surrounding the pair of us, and leaned up with ragged breath to kiss him lightly, before wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips against his. I parted my lips slightly, granting his tongue access and letting it slide over my lips, before battling for domination of the kiss. I pulled back slightly, giving him a smile, and staring into his eyes. I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his, breathing heavily and recognizing the want and desire in his eyes. I grabbed his hand, leading him to my room; before pushing him down on my bed and climbing on top of him once again to continue the attack that was started a couple of minutes previous in his car, and then continued against the kitchen door.

We both agreed that there didn't have to be a set time for me to shower and change before we leave for this dinner; after all it was only early afternoon, we didn't need to be there for hours yet. I chucked my jacket on the end of the bed as I was flipped round so he was now hovering over me. He kissed upwards from my neck to my jaw line, until he eventually found my lips and grazed over them lightly before upping the pace and intensity of the kiss as time went by.

He'd learnt his lesson since the first time we made out properly, he tried to undo my top, and since I told him to leave that night, he hadn't done so again. Whenever we kissed, it was like frenzies of urgent rushes connecting our bodies together while we kissed, and to keep things comfortable for the both of us he agreed that his hands would either stay below my chest, on my hips, on my legs, around my neck or on my arms. We'd also both agreed that he wouldn't try to strip me, he was aware that sex was a big deal for me; he agreed to not pressure me, and to wait until I was ready.

Thankfully I was wearing my leotard, so even if he were to try and break a rule he wouldn't get very far without taking it all off, which wasn't going to happen. As our tongues danced together in a battle for control, it was clear nobody was either winning or losing this battle. I eventually gave in and moved slightly as he continued to kiss me, sweetly, then intensely, before kissing up from my neck to behind my ear once again. I laughed at the sensation of his lips on my skin, putting my hand on his cheek and bringing his face back to look at me, before bringing his lips onto mine once again for a sweet kiss.

After a while of kissing eachother senseless, I figured my parents would be back from wherever they went soon enough, so I pushed his chest once again and moved over slightly, so he could lie next to me. He agreed to calm our intense kisses by just holding me and stroking my hair for a while, dropping feather light kisses on my head and forehead every so often. He was actually kind of sweet, just looking after me without trying to push it further than I wanted it to go. I was pretty sure that time was going quicker than we thought, so I kissed him lightly before going downstairs and grabbing my gym bag.

I brought it back up, and pulled my phone out before chucking my bag at Nathan to catch his attention. He sat up and pulled me down on top of him once again. I laughed and asked what he was doing, and he sat me in his lap asking if he could empty the contents of my gym bag. They did this on the red carpet in the entrance to Nationals in Boston; Peyton, Brooke and I stole Rachel's gym bag and filled it with embarrassing contents. It was all emptied one item at a time on National TV, and we just stood by and laughed. She thought we were immature, but it was totally worth it.

He unzipped my gym bag, before pulling out the contents one at a time, as if we were doing it at Nationals all over again. He pulled out my bottle of water, and placed it in front of us. He then pulled out my silver, purple and red Hillview gym tracksuit, laughing at my predictableness. It wasn't compulsory to wear it to training, only to club events, but I chose to wear it every day anyway. After pulling that out, he pulled out my change of clothes I usually keep in my gym bag to change into after practice. I had them in there today, intending to wear them, but knowing Nathan was waiting for me, there was no point to changing. He saw me in a leotard every day at practice; it was no big deal. He then pulled out my hair brush, hairspray and multiple packets of hair grips and bobbles. He once again laughed at the contents of my bag.

"Why on earth do you have so much stuff for your hair in here?" He questioned, clearly not understanding a simple thing to all female gymnasts.

"I guess you wouldn't understand. Hair has to be tied back for a reason; if it falls loose while we're performing we could end up seriously injuring ourselves." I replied, trying to explain how it worked. He shrugged before getting back to pulling the contents from my bag.

He then pulled out my bracelet he'd given me the first day he tutored me. He smiled as he no doubt enjoyed the flash back to the moment he gave me the bracelet like I did. He planted a light kiss on the back of my head, before stretching out the bracelet and sliding it over my wrist effortlessly. I looked down at the bracelet and smiled at the kind gesture he'd made.

"Why do you keep this in your gym bag? You're not allowed jewellery in practice." He questioned.

"It's just nice to have it in my bag. Kind of like a little keepsake to remind me of you while you're not there." I mumbled the last part, feeling the blush creep up onto my cheeks.

He thought it was sweet and planted a light kiss on my cheek, before rummaging around my gym bag to find the next item to pull out. The next item from my gym bag; a CD with the words "Floor Routine; China Meet 2011" written on it.

"Why is this still in your bag?" He asked with a questioning look etched on his face.

"Oh I just forgot to give it to Tom. I'll do it tomorrow." I replied.

He wasn't that excited by what was in my bag, there wasn't much that wasn't average. If he'd gone and looked in Brooke or Peyton's gym bag the whole thing would've been completely different, they both never leave home without their make-up bag with them, whereas I didn't care about looks on the outside. Sure I looked to look good as much as the next girl but make-up was a cover up to hide your face, and to hide behind it would be stupid. Plus I wanted Nathan kissing my lips and not my lip gloss.

After a couple of hours spent in my room, making out and going through my gym bag, I thought it best to shower and get changed ready for this dinner with Nathan's family. He agreed to stay in my room while I showered in the en-suite, and turned his back while I gathered my clothes. I picked out my clothes from my wardrobe before heading back into the bathroom to change. It took me a while to decide what to wear, I didn't want to overdress; nor did I want to underdress. I decided on a sea blue knee length dress, with a black strip of material around the bottom of the dress, the sleeves, and around the neckline; with a silver rope belt. As I pulled my tights up my legs, I took the dress from its hanger, and pulled it over my head. I pulled it down over the rest of my body, before smoothing it out and taking one last look in the mirror before I headed back to my room. I smiled slightly and took a deep breath, opening the door of the bathroom and closing it behind me. As soon as Nathan heard the door close he turned around to look at me, his smile widening as he saw me.

"Is it too much?" I asked quietly, nervously awaiting his response.

"No." He said simply, shaking his head. "Haley, you look…beautiful." I walked over to where he was sitting, sitting myself down next to him and leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Are you sure? It's not too dressy is it?" I asked; feeling a tad overdressed. He shook his head in response and told me I looked perfect before kissing my lips lightly, and asking if I was ready. I stood up and told him I just had to style my hair, put on the minimal amount of make-up I was going to wear, and find the accessories to match my outfit. I grabbed a long, layered, beaded necklace, and put it on, before grabbing my brush and brushing through my hair. I styled it quickly, curling the ends, before applying the minimal amount of make-up I was going to wear, a light coat of mascara, a touch of lip gloss and a tiny amount of eyeliner.

Once I finished, I grabbed my phone, put it in my bag, along with my keys and purse, and walked back over to my doorway where Nathan was now standing. He grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers, and led me outside to his car. Once outside, he let go of my hand, opened my door for me, and waited until I'd gotten in to shut it. He then proceeded to walk around to his side of the car, get in and drive us to the place where in the next few hours; hell may be recognized on earth.

As we pulled up at the house, I grabbed Nathan's hand to stop him leaving the vehicle. It was silly really, but I was scared. Sure, I'd met Nathan's parents before, but not formally like this. The pressure kept mounting as his grandparents were also going to be there, as well as his Uncle Keith. Nathan turned back to me as he felt me grip his hand, and stared at me with a questioning look gracing his face.

"I'm scared." I said, explaining the reasoning for pulling him back.

"Why? I know my family is screwed up, but they're not that scary." He reassured, putting a hand on the small of my back.

"I don't even know. I'm just anxious to see what your family will think of me. I mean it's the first time we've been formally introduced…the last time I saw your dad I was throwing up on his pants." I laughed nervously.

"Haley, you'll be fine. You're the smartest, prettiest, funniest, and sexiest girl I know. There is no reason for my family to not like you. They think you've made a good influence on me, which is good enough for them. I promise you, you'll be fine. Trust me, okay?" He asked, pressing his lips against my forehead for moral support.

"You've really changed, you know. Since we started dating you've become this gentleman…that jackass I used to know has just disappeared; I like it. You're so kind to me as well. You've come a long way. Now come on, we best get this over with." I smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips in appreciation, before clambering out of the car. We walked up the house, hand in hand, and gave each other a quick kiss, before walking into the house. I dropped Nathans hand, as he took my coat and hung it over the banister. He took my hand once more; leading me into the dining room where the long wooden table stood.

I kissed the cheeks of his father, grandfather, mother and grandmother, before allowing him to pull out my chair before I sat down. As I sat down on the chair, he pushed it back in for me, before sitting down next to me and taking my hand under the table for moral support. As another knock on the door came, we looked over to the hallway we were just standing in to note who the next guest was. My hand dropped from his grasp as we saw just who was standing in the doorway. The guest could not see me here. This could not be happening right here. The look of horror was set in stone upon my face, as I realised there was no getting out of this situation. Thomas Belloff, our coach, had turned out to be Nathan's uncle's guest.

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**Reviews/Thoughts? Please?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the wait on this chapter! I've been in Portugal for a week, without any contact to the outside world! So anyway, with my holiday and the timing of the Easter holidays from school, it's been hard sending my chapters to my beta to get them checked, but all is working out fine again now! **

**So once again, special thanks to my beta othfan1919, you're awesome! I couldn't do this without you, 'cause otherwise my fic would suck. :D hahaha, thank you! :) **

**I have a few things to say before I get started on this chapter, so here goes:**

**1 - Thank you for the reviews! I'll reply to those in a moment, but you've really inspired me with them to keep going :}**

**2 - My wonderful beta gave me an idea recently that I want to include in a future chapter, chapter 16 to be precise. I won't go into detail on the idea, 'cause I don't wanna spoil anything, but basically it's to do with Nathan, and considering this fic is written through Haleys POV, it may be a little hard to write from her perspective if I want to use the idea, which I do. So I did try to write from Haleys POV, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. So I figured, if it's okay with you lot, I want to write in the third person for that chapter? It'll probably change back to Haleys POV in Chapter 17 as the second half of the idea is based around her, and it'll be easier to write that bit in her POV, so yeah that's the idea. Would anyone mind me changing POV to neutral for a chapter? **

**3 - I have 3 one shots that are un-completed, well I did complete one and send it to my beta, so I'll be posting that soon. The other 2 will be finished soon, and once I get them betaed, I'll post them for you! Look out for them! The first one is called 'Need you now', it's a Naley one. The second one is called 'One of the boys', and that's about Quinn, and partly Clay but he's not totally involved. The third is called 'The last song' and that one is also about Naley. So yeah, look out for them! :)**

**Review replies**

**Libby: I'm glad you took the time to review, even if it is constructive. I do understand what you mean, and believe me I've kind of drifted from what I originally had planned for this fic. Haley was always going to be National champion, but other than that, her character wasn't supposed to be 'too perfect' as you said like in the show. The next step up for her would be to make the team that goes to China for the meet there, as they're the best team in the world, and to win something against them, would be the next step for her. From there, the next step would be to make the 10 girls that get to try out for the team that goes to Worlds. Then make the team for Worlds, compete and win the gold at Worlds, then the Olympics. I'm not sure how much of that I'm going to use in my fic, if people are interested enough, then sure I'll do it all, but I don't wanna drag out something that isn't very good and nobodys interested in. So it depends on the readers. Thanks for the comment anyhow, I'm glad someones finally given me some constructive advice. :) Now that I have a beta, I'm trying to get back to what I originally had planned, so I hope Haleys character doesn't put you off until I've sorted it out completely. **

**ObsessivePrincess/Ashley: I kinda guessed you liked the face considering you've used it quite a lot, hahahah. Their coach can't see Haley there 'cause of the no dating rule at the club/gym, whatever you wanna call it. In the elite world of gymnastics it's pretty much like that, ha. They think boys are a distraction to women elite gymnasts. Vice versa for elite men gymnasts, but you don't really get loads of them. They think that they provide a distraction and they'll lose their focus on their gymnastics. So if their coach sees her there, he'll suspect that she's breaking the rule, which, clearly, she shouldn't be. But she is anyway. Ha. So yeah, I hope that helps. LOL I'm glad you like the 'naley heat' as you said. It was so hard to write, I was sitting there like, why am I even doing this? Took a lot of research to get it right but glad you liked it! By research, I don't mean that in a perverted way, I just mean research on how to write that sorta stuff. Hahahah. Kissing the grandparents was just a sign of respect, nobody really likes Royal Scott anyway, hahahaha. Anywhooooooo...thanks for reviewing! :)**

**hey-torch: Thank you so much for your review! I love your writing, ha! But you already knew that..what with the essays I leave as reviews on your fics, ha. So anyway, I'm glad you started checking it out, 'cause you're such an amazing writer hahah. Aw I've never actually seen Stick It, I was basing this on Make it or Break it, ha. If the movies to do with gymnastics you might wanna check out MIOBI 'cause that is too :) So anyway, thank you for your review, I'm glad it caught your attention! Hope you enjoy the rest! :)**

**Right, I'm done talking now. Here you are, Chapter 13! **

**Chapter 13**

I looked at Nathan in a moment of frenzied panic, thinking Tom would find out for sure that we'd been dating the past couple of weeks. He looked back at me with a look in his eyes that displayed the same fear and panic my whole face portrayed. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen for a moment, to calm my obvious nerves. He stroked the tops of my arms and looked me in the eyes, telling me to be calm. He kissed the top of my head, looked me in the eyes and told me that we needed to tell Tom that we were just friends. He obviously didn't want too, but we both knew it was the best thing for us. We both wanted to keep our places at the gym, and if we were found out, we'd both be kicked out of the gym for sure. He walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later, after telling me I didn't need to worry, because Tom wouldn't think anything of it. I soon followed after him, and sat back down in my seat, ready to face the wrath of my coach.

Dinner continued pretty uneventful, Tom bought our 'just friends' story and didn't question it any further. As we ate and the conversation between the adults continued, Nathan looked at me and asked me if I was glad I came. I responded with a simple 'yeah' and smiled at him, wanting so much to give him a quick peck on the lips but couldn't risk being seen by Tom. As we ate, we sat around the table waiting for a conversation starter yet again. Nathans grandfather, Royal Scott, was the one to start the conversation, and asked Tom how the men's National team was doing this year.

"I believe the team is still undefeated in the meets they had taken part in." Dan replied, speaking for him.

Nathans grandmother, Mae Scott, was clearly frustrated by the subject and asked if they could refrain from talking about gymnastics until after dinner. Dan once again responded and gave his apologies, before letting her know it was a good idea. Royal then proceeded to ask Nathan about his average score; once again comparing him to his father's unbeaten scoring record of 18.575 for an individual event, with a total of 80.950.

Nathan had yet to beat this, and was constantly compared to his father for it.

"Why don't you ask my dad? He'll probably know better." Nathan replied. Really it was just an excuse to get him out of talking about gymnastics.

His father responded with his average score, 16.450, with a proud look upon his face. Not the kind of proud that makes Nathan happy, but the kind of proud that's just pride in himself for setting the record, and not being beaten.

"You'll have to work a lot harder if you want to beat your father." His grandfather told him, before bringing up the ever present subject of how Dan would've been Olympic Champion if he hadn't done so much damage to his knee.

He asked Nathan how his knees were, and he responded by telling his grandfather there were no worries, his knees were fine. Before I knew what I was saying, I told the entire table that Nathan had great knees. They all laughed, and I laughed along with them hoping to divert the attention of Coach Belloff from Nathan and me.

As the table finished their meals, Mae suggested she should check on the cake that Deb had prepared for desert, but I stood up and told her I'd do it. She smiled her appreciation, and I smiled back before asking Nathan to come into the kitchen and help. His family made jokes about not letting him touch anything in case he sets the house alight, and I laughed as Nathan pulled me into the kitchen to escape his family. He shut the door connecting the hallway to the two rooms, before locking it.

"Nathan, what are you-"I was interrupted by his lips crashing onto mine, his hands placed firmly on my waist. I slung my arms around his neck and kissed him back, just needing to feel his lips on mine, as we hadn't been able to kiss for hours, and probably wouldn't get another chance until after dessert, so we had to make the most of our alone time together. I pulled away after a few minutes, breathless, but grinning like a Cheshire cat at the boy hovering above me.

"I warned you it was going to be intense." He smirked, pulling me by the hand over to the counter.

"Insane is more like it!" I responded with a laugh.

"You know, there's a door right there," he pointed out, referring to the door that led to the back of the property. "We could sneak out. Nobody would even notice."

"Tempting." I replied, playing with the icing spatula. I knew I couldn't hide out from Nathan much longer, and after seeing Royal at the café earlier, I knew I had to say something. "So how often do your grandparents come to town?"

"A couple of times a year, why?" He responded, as I looked down at the cake and continued to play with the icing spatula. "Haley, you've got that look."

"What look?" I asked, playing innocent.

"That look you get when you want to tell me something but you don't really want to tell me." Damn he was good.

"No I don't, and you shouldn't know that look yet." I teased, pointing the spatula at him.

"What is it?" He asked, and I knew in that moment I would have to tell him.

"Your grandfather came by the café today, and he asked for Karen." I said, looking around to make sure nobody was around to hear me tell him.

"He did?" he seemed in shock that his grandfather had visited.

"Yeah, I just kind of got the feeling like they've been keeping in touch." I replied, keeping my tone quiet. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I don't want to start anything."

"My family's so screwed up right now, nothing you do could make a difference, don't worry about it." He reassured, before checking to make sure we were still alone and fusing our lips together in another kiss to last us until after dessert. I pulled away after a few minutes of kissing, telling Nathan we needed to sort the cake out else people will get suspicious. He reluctantly agreed, and stood behind me, watching as I cut the cake into equal slices for the guests. As I placed each slice on a plate, he walked forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, moving my hair to one side, so he could kiss my neck. I tried to control the moans I knew were being voiced, and tried to push Nathan off, but he was too strong.

"Nathan, quit it. You're family and our coach is behind that door, and if they hear us we are in so much trouble."

He raised his arms in innocence and let me finish serving the dessert while leaning against the kitchen counter once more. As I picked up the first two plates and headed to the door, Nathan pulled me back and gave me a warm, long-lasting kiss to last me the rest of the evening. He then unlocked the door and let me walk through to deliver the dessert to his family.

As we sat down to eat, Royal once again asked about how Nathan was doing on the team. Mae was unimpressed that she had to once again listen to the sports talk, and once again voiced her opinion. Royal told her to cover her ears, and then complained that nobody was telling him anything. He asked around the table, asking everybody why nobody was telling him the truth. Tom suggested that Nathan respond to his grandfather, as nobody else could fully respond to the question. He took a deep breath as he prepared to let his family know of his decision, before grabbing my hand under the table for moral support.

"I quit, alright? I quit. I quit gymnastics, for good."

**Reviews, Thoughts, Comments? Anything! Just click the button! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Once again, thanks for the reviews guys! :D Pleased with them :) I love you guys to bits, you're amazing! So I'll reply in a minute but first a quick AN...**

**I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in over a month! I've been so busy revising for this one freaking exam. But good news is, I have a free period on a Thursday now seeing as I've completed all work/exams for that subject. My periods are 2 hours each so I dedicate a whole 2 hours to writing on a Thursday! I will sort my time management, I swear. **

**I kinda had some personal stuff come up over the last week and I took it quite hard even though I really shouldn't have, and it upset me for a while, but I'm alright now, promise. And so in light of that, I kinda wanted to ask you guys something personal...do you ever worry about what people think of you? Or that they're talking about you when you're not there? Or that you feel when you ask them to hang out, they're busy? I know that last one's stupid, but to me, at least in my case, it's like they're making excuses. So yeah, just wondered. You don't have to answer, I was just curious.**

**I also read Shantels "True Beauty" interview last night, cried for an hour then read it again and cried some more. I had no idea, like literally, no idea what she'd suffered. Or that she'd suffered at all. She's really inspired me and a lot of other girls to share their stories and know that it gets better. **

**So review replies! **

**Libby: Hi again! Hahah. Honestly it didn't offend me, it's just a work of fiction. I love to know other peoples opinions, especially when it comes to my work. Good or bad. I know what you mean, and I had originally planned to write it like she was the National Champ, but not much good at anything else. I'm trying to write more scenes with them together, but this chapter is a sole Naley focus. Sorry about that...ha. Hope it's okay still! I'm writing Chapter 18 right now and because of some of the things happening, there's more Haley with others and not just Nathan. But I'll try and re-edit some chapters after this to include other characters. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter and review again! :)**

**naley12: Thanks for the review, I'm sorry I made you wait so long! :( **

**ObsessivePrincess/Ashley: Thanks babe! :) Seeing as you already read the heat in this chapter..well I hope you like it :P If I need more help, I know who to ask ;) x**

**hannahssmith: I know I've PMed you but thanks again! I won't write another essay but thanks for your review! :) Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, PLEASE review, thanks! :D**

**Chapter 14**

Pretty much as soon as the words had left his mouth, his grandfather was tearing into him.

"You quit the team? What do you mean you quit the team?" He demanded answers, and he demanded them now.

"He didn't quit the team, dad. He's just taking some time off." Dan answered, trying to spin an even bigger web of lies.

"No, he's not. Please stop lying, Dan." Deb finally spoke up, looking towards her husband.

"Were you ever going to tell me this, I mean that's a hell of a thing to keep to yourself." Royal cut in once more, directing his gaze in Nathans direction.

"Yeah, you're one to talk." Nathan angrily replied. I could already sense an argument beginning, before it even happened.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I know you visit Karen at the café, alright? What's that about?" He questioned.

"Nathan-"I interjected, not wanting to be the cause of this argument.

"That is none of your damn business. I guess somebody's got a big mouth." He argued back, now staring in my direction. He obviously knew I had said something to Nathan. What was I supposed to do, keep it to myself? My boyfriend's grandfather had visited my best friend's mother at her café; I couldn't exactly keep it quiet.

"Just shut up, Grandpa!" Nathan yelled, squeezing my hand under the table. I squeezed it back in an attempt to calm him.

"Don't talk to me like that young man!" Royal yelled back with an equally annoyed tone.

"Back off, Royal, I've had enough of your crap. Nathan is not the problem." Deb spoke up, lowering the volume in the room.

"Would someone please explain?" Mae asked.

"Dan has been riding Nathan for the past 6 years about that damn sport." She started.

"Deb, stop." Dan cut in, obviously not liking the direction in which the conversation was headed.

"Riding him so hard, Nathan took drugs so he could measure up." She continued.

"What do you mean, he took drugs!" Royal exclaimed, not knowing about Nathans collapse.

"He had to be rushed to the hospital. He could've died because of this…this…insane pressure to be the best. But none of that is my son's fault, Royal. It's your son's." She finished, looking at Royal. Everybody looked to Dan in that moment to see what he had to say for himself.

"Danny?" Mae questioned. "I can't believe it, you of all people! How dare you! You know how much you hated it when your daddy bullied you to be better." She spoke, before being interrupted by Royal.

"I never bullied him!"

"And when you wanted a way out, I gave you one. All these years, I protected you. I lied for you. And now you're doing the same thing to your son." She said, clearly disappointed in her son's behaviour.

"What are you talking about?" Royal questioned.

"Remember in college, his knee injury. It wasn't permanent. Danny quit. And I helped him." She said, showing no sense of regret or guilt.

The table was silent as the shocking revelation came out. All of this time, people had believed that Dan Scott was going to be Olympic champion one day. If only he hadn't of hurt his knee. Now, the truth was out. Royal, Mae and Dan argued for a while longer, as Royal was clearly angry that his wife and son had lied to him for such a significant amount of time. Eventually, Royal had enough and walked off. Nathan followed suit and told me to get my coat; he would take me home.

The drive home was a silent and awkward one; neither of us quite knew what to say. I tried to console Nathan; he stayed silent so I figured it best to leave that tactic. As he walked me to my door, he interlinked our fingers, while walking up the stairs to my front porch.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Nathan said, breaking the silence.

"No, it's okay. It helped me understand, you know?" I replied, following his lead and leaning next to him against the side of the banister.

"You know, growing up, there were just certain things that were carved in stone. And the main one was that Dan Scott would've been Olympic champion if he didn't blow out his knee. So, all this time, he's just been feeding me this line of crap about how great he would've been, and how I'd never be as good as him." He said. "What a bastard."

"At least you know the truth though, right?" I questioned, as I looked up at him.

"I just don't know what to do with it." He sighed, and I hugged him before pulling away and telling him I should go. I leant forward and hugged him once again, before pulling back and speaking.

"Goodnight, Nathan." I said quietly. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" I kissed his cheek lightly before turning away and heading towards my door.

"Hey, remember how I said my family is so screwed up, nothing would make a difference?" He questioned.

I nodded, looking at him from my doorway.

"I was wrong." He smiled, as he walked away, back to his car. I hung back in the doorway for a moment, before walking inside and closing the door. As expected, nobody was home. I took off my coat and hung it in the cupboard as I headed upstairs to my room. I grabbed a book I had recently started, and sat on my bed, beginning to read.

I checked my phone every so often, to see if Nathan had texted or called, but nothing. There was nothing to worry about; he was just confused and angry as to why his father treated him like he had, even more so now that he knew the truth.

I decided to text him after a while, I was worried for him; he had a lot to take in tonight. His whole world had been rocked by the revelation that his dad quit gymnastics, and his injury did not prevent him from training again, of course he was going to be shaken. His dad had treated him like crap his entire life, but what neither of us understood was why. Why did he do it? He knew exactly how it felt, he knew exactly how much Nathan hated it, hated him. Yet he still continued to work him to the bone.

I put my book down, marking my place, before grabbing my phone from my bedside table and composing a message.

_I need to know you're okay. I'm worried. Come over? Parents are out, I need to see you. X_

I sent the message, and hoped that he wouldn't ignore it. Right now, he was vulnerable. He needed somebody, and I'd feel so much better if he came to me. I couldn't do much to help him, but at least he'd have somebody. It would put my mind at rest, and seeing as my parents weren't home, we could spend time together without being under the watchful eye of our coach, his family, or anybody.

It would just be the two of us together; no interruptions.

I locked my phone shut as I waited for a reply; before going back to reading the book I was previously reading. The words on the pages were not making any sense, that's all they were. They were just words on a page. I was so worried about Nathan; I couldn't lose myself in the book as I had done previously. He had me. I couldn't think of anything or anybody but him.

I picked up my phone as I heard it vibrate, and typed the passcode to unlock it. I looked at the screen in front of me, reading the alert.

_1 New Message – Nathan_

_Can't, busy. I'll pick you up for training in the morning. Are you working tomorrow? X_

I quickly typed out a reply, and sighed at his response.

_Please? I need to see you, and I can't wait until tomorrow. I miss you already. I need to know you're okay. X_

I replied, not bothering to answer his question. I had to convince him to come over. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see him. And I want to tell him it will be okay; even if it's not. He needs to know that I'm here for him, no matter what happens. Almost instantly I received a reply.

_I miss you too, you know I do. X _

I decided that with the short response, he must be giving in, so I text him once more to see if I could convince him to come over.

_So come over, for me, please? I miss you, just for a while? X_

Several minutes after I sent the text, I received my reply.

_Alright, I'll come over. You sure your parents are out? X_

He clearly needed a final convincing to come over.

_100% sure, just get over here, now please boyfriend! I need to feel your lips on mine, a.s.a.p. X_

I couldn't believe I was even saying this.

_I'm already on my way, my beautiful girlfriend. Haley James, are you sending me dirty texts? Xx _

I chuckled lightly at his reply; clearly this was a shock to the system.

_Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. All you need to know right now is that I want you, here and now. I'm waiting Mr. Scott; you know I don't like to be kept waiting. Xx _

Brooke was right, dirty texting is so much fun when you're the one insinuating it.

_Well Miss James, I guess there's an impatient side to you I've never known before. All the more reason to hurry, I'll be there in 5, can't wait to see you. Xx_

I decided to let him drive safely, so I decided not to text him back for the time being. A few minutes later, as promised, Nathan turned up at my doorstep. I had changed from my earlier attire into something more comfortable, but still enough so I didn't look a complete tramp to Nathan. I wore a pale pink pair of shorts, with a pale yellow cami top. I tied my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head, with 2 strands hanging either side of my face.

As I walked downstairs to open the door to Nathan, I quickly checked my reflection in the hall mirror to make sure I looked half way decent. I leant against the door frame as I opened the front door, fully expecting my guest.

"You certainly took your time, Mr. Scott." I said, moving out of the way to allow him to come in.

"Sorry, my girlfriend was sending me dirty text messages, you see." He replied, shutting the door and boxing me against it.

"Oh she was, was she? Does this girlfriend of yours know you're here?" I breathed out, getting hotter by the minute with him standing over me.

"Well I'd hope she does." And with that, I leaned up to crash my lips against his. He pressed his face close to mine as our lips met. The scent of his cologne I knew he'd recently put on invaded my nostrils as I pulled him closer to me, my lips still claiming his. Our tongues battled for domination of the kiss, twisting and turning with each other in perfect sync. I wrapped my arms around his neck, keeping me steady and up-right. The intensity of the kiss continued to build as we were still pushed against the door. He moved one of his hands to graze my hip, as I felt myself getting hotter when he touched me. I decided to take things a tad further, and let him move his hand a bit more. I grabbed his hand before placing it under my shirt and then dropping my hand. I moaned slightly at the contact, enjoying his skin on mine more than I probably should.

I pulled away from the kiss to grab his hand, and pretty much drag him to room. I pushed him through the door to my bedroom, before shutting it and joining him in lying on the bed. It was nice to just spend time together, alone. Nobody in the world was there to stop us, it was just us. He wrapped his strong, muscular arms around my small frame, and I buried my head into the crook of his armpit.

"There is actually a reason I came over here. I mean, other than to make out with my incredibly hot girlfriend, of course." He smirked, as I looked up at him.

"Oh right, yeah. What exactly was that reason?" I questioned.

"After dinner, and after I dropped you home, I had another argument with my dad. It just made me realise that the only way I can ever truly be free of him is to beat him. I have to go back, Haley. I've got to beat my dad's score and set a new record." He said, as he looked me in the eye. I knew he was serious, but I couldn't help but try to convince him out of it. It was no use, of course, his mind was made up.

He left a while later, claiming I needed rest for practice tomorrow. It may be a closed National Team practice, but he and I both knew that Tom would allow him to train while we did. As long as he didn't distract us, he'd be fine with it.

A load of good that was, I couldn't stop thinking about the boy. Having him there in practice is just going to make things even harder for us both. 

If Nathan was distracting me, I wouldn't make the team that goes to China. I couldn't afford to mess it up. After missing out on going to London; I had to go to China.

I received a text from him a while later, crushing my worries, even if by a fraction.

_Are you working tomorrow? I can drop you at the gym if you like, I'm going anyway. X _

I quickly typed out a reply, before placing my phone next to me.

_You better be picking me up tomorrow; I need to see you before practice. I'm not working, no. X_

Several seconds after sending the message, the reply came through.

_Of course I will. I'll pick you up and drop you to the gym, as normal. The only difference is now I'm staying too. You're going to do great, I promise. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, my sweet girl. Xx_

I smiled at the text, realising he was just taking in a lot of home truths, and it was naturally going to be hard for him. Reading the last line of the message was truly amazing. He did care. I didn't bother replying to his text; he knew I got it; what else was there left to say? I settled down in my bed, closing my eyes, and finally drifting off, dreaming of Nathan that night.

**REVIEW PLEASE! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! I'm not sure when I last updated but if it was longer than a week - I apologise! So, I'm on half term at the moment and I'll have so much spare time since I'm not doing anything until Friday; so guess what? LOTS OF WRITING. yay :) If I get the reviews, I'll update at least twice this week. ;) Incentive, ha. No Glee this week though. :( There's only 2 episodes left, why wait a week? Ugh. -.- So anyway! Review replies! :D**

**naley12: Thank you very much! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the texting, that took me ages to get right. :') I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last! :) Thanks for your review, I hope you keep reviewing, I love them! :D **

**hannahssmith: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! I wasn't sure when I first posted it that I would get a good response because my writing was kind of ignored on this other forum I used to write for. I'm glad you appreciate it and keep reviewing, I appreciate it! I know I've PMed you but just to re-iterate for other readers, I honestly have no idea how long the fic has left. To be honest with you, this is like, my first proper fic. I've not finished anything serious before. So I'm just hoping when the time comes I'll know it's the right decision. I was thinking about ending it at Worlds, but I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I might write the Olympics if my readers are interested enough and I get a good response, but I have no idea. All I know is that if I post a sequel, It'll be their lives after elite gymnastics and how they cope etc :) I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Alex: Thanks sweet! Y'know what you said to me on Tuesday about handing it to Miss Wanza...read on and you'll realise why I won't. LOL. Anyway, beside the sexual references, do you really think I should? I kind of want too, you know. Anywho you won't read this for ages 'cause well, you just won't, but thanks for reading. :)**

**Quick question for you guys: I was told by a girl in my class that I should hand this in to my English teacher to read over and help me with...extra credit, that sort of thing. I'm 14 years old, do you think I should do it? I'd be too embarrased by the sexual references but yeah...do you think I should? Let me know in a review preferably ;)**

**I'll stop talking, I'm watching Titanic as I write this anyway. Here you are:**

**Chapter 15**

The next morning, I quickly text Nathan to tell him I was taking my car to practice, and I'd see him when he arrived. He agreed without a fuss, and decided it was for the best anyway.

As I pulled up at the gym, I stepped out of my car to see Nathan doing the same. I gave him a cheeky smile, with an added wink to make him happy, before heading to the door of the gym. As I walked, I felt a hand on my wrist pulling me back. I turned around to see Nathan holding onto my wrist.

"What are you doing? We'll get caught!" I giggled, turning around to face him.

"I need to kiss you." He whispered in my ear, and a smirk appeared on my lips.

"You do, do you? Well follow me and I might just let you." I winked, freeing myself from his grasp, before walking around the back of the gym to the annex building. I pulled him around the back of the building, knowing nobody would be there.

The annex building was just that, a building at the back of the gym where some of the other apparatus was kept. It was mostly just for the guys of the gym, not many of the girls went out there. In fact, I don't think any of them do. It's just full of the men's apparatus we can't fit in the main building, so there's no reason for us to be there. Seeing as Nathan would be the only person that wasn't on the National Team that was practicing in the gym today, nobody would be around here.

He bent his head down to reach my height and I leaned up that final half an inch to touch his lips. The light touch of my lips against his soon became more, as he moved his lips over mine. I started to feel the butterflies in my stomach as he kissed me, I was falling for him hard and fast. My heart was fluttering, and I swear if it started to beat any harder it might just explode out of my chest. The way his lips connected with mine, I just knew it was right. I clung to him like my life depended on it, and the dizziness of the world around me was not helping.

I felt his breath warm on my lips as he moved back, ending the kiss. I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks, flushing a scarlet red. The world started to stop spinning, and I looked into his eyes as he did too, smiling like I never thought possible.

"I have to go, I have practice." I whispered onto his lips as I pecked them for a final time.

"Do you have too?" He asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You know I have to go. Sorry baby. I'll see you later though, right?" I replied.

"Of course you will, beautiful. Get in there and do me proud." He smiled, pressing his lips to mine once more. I moaned a little as I pulled back, knowing if I didn't go now, I wouldn't go at all. "I'll see you later."

I walked out from around the back of the building, ensuring that nobody was around to see me creeping around. Nathan followed a minute later, to ensure we weren't caught together.

Seeing as it was a National Team practice today, I had to wear my National Team practice leotard. It was red, blue and white with a star in the top left corner. I also wore my National Team tracksuit, which was blue. Sometimes, it's not about the amount of talent a gymnast has on the National Team, the decision can sometimes be based on how much they kiss the National Committee's ass, which I refused to do. I'd wear my leotard, as it was compulsory; I'd wear my tracksuit, as it was namely one of my better ideas, but if they expected me to bow down to them and kiss their asses, they had another thing coming.

As expected, Peyton and Brooke were already in the gym waiting for me when I arrived. I hugged each of them in turn, before heading to my locker to put my bag away. The National Committee had yet to turn up, so we headed to the floor mat to begin warming up.

As we warmed up, Brooke was talking about her latest squeeze, Julian. He seemed a nice enough guy, he was training at Hillview with the rest of us, and he'd taken a real shine to Brooke. It was obvious he really liked her, but he didn't quite know how to say it. I helped him out a little, by telling Brooke that he liked her during practice one day a few weeks back. It turns out Brooke liked Julian, and Julian liked Brooke. I'd guess they'd hooked up a few times, because neither one of them had stopped smiling since.

We sat and stretched while we waited on the National Committee's arrival, and thankfully neither Brooke nor Peyton asked about Nathan. I couldn't answer their questions because they'd just tell me he was a distraction, or be happy and end up gossiping about it to everyone in the gym. I couldn't risk it, so I kept them in the dark. I hated lying to my best friends; we'd been truthful about everything with each other since we were 5 years old; but it was the only option. I felt awful for lying to them, but if they ever found out, Tom was bound to find out.

Unfortunately, Rachel was still on the National Team. I hated having to work with her, but she was my team mate, and we had to work together whether we liked it or not. She came over to us looking all smug looking, before continuing her stretches in front of us.

"Oh hey team mates." She smiled smugly. What on earth could she be so smug about at this time in the morning?

I stole a risky glance over at Nathan where he was warming up, as he stared back at me. He could see the annoyance in my face as Rachel came over, and that heart melting smile he knew I couldn't resist calmed my annoyance for a short time.

"Where do you come from?" Brooke spoke up, looking up at Rachel. "You're like a recurring zit."

"I'm sorry you girls couldn't have joined us at the EU meet. But I guess if you had, we probably wouldn't have won." She smiled smugly once again.

"That's in the past. We're focused on China now. And I'm still the National Champ." I replied, in a tone to match her smugness, once again stealing a glance at Nathan.

"Yeah, look at the good that's done you. No-one missed you in London, Haley. And no-one's going to miss you in Beijing." She said, as I whipped my head back to look at her.

As I was about to reply to her comments, the National Team Coach arrived, and he called us all over to the floor mat to start the practice. We stood up as everyone on the team gathered around, and waited for our coach to begin speaking.

"As you know, this practice will determine which six of you go to China to compete against the best team in the world. Today's practice is about fine tuning and perfecting your routine, and tomorrow the National Committee will help me select the final six. So make it count." He said, punctuating the last few words. We nodded our heads in agreement and understanding as everyone dispersed to different apparatus in the gym. As he walked away, Rachel spoke up once again.

"Did I mention, Marty added a whip to a full in to my floor routine? That gives me the highest DoD of anyone on the team." She smiled that smug smile, and Brooke spoke up, about to wipe that smile off her face.

"Think again. Haley just added a double Arabian to her floor routine. I'm pretty sure that beats your full in." She replied, as we stood in front of her, watching her face fall.

"What?" She questioned, clearly not impressed that my DOD was higher than hers. "Does Marty know about this?"

"He will now." I nodded, as I walked over to the corner of the floor mat to prove my point. "Marty." I called out, catching the attention of the coach. I gained my speed before launching myself into the move perfectly, no doubt executing it with power and keeping it clean. I stood up and looked over to the two of them, Rachel looking unimpressed and no doubt planning a way to up her DOD again to beat me, while Marty just noted the changes to my routine.

I looked over at Nathan as he began to make his ascent onto his first piece of apparatus. He smiled at me, and I gave him a wink, hoping nobody would notice. He gave me a cheeky wink back, mouthing a few words to me. _Well done, beautiful. I'm so proud of you. _


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So I can't remember when I last updated, but I'm sorry if it was too long in your opinion! I'd like to thank you all for your reviews and support, it's so amazing to be supported like this. I know I say this every chapter but I just want to express how true it really is, because your support continues to blow me away every time you hit that review button. I've recieved so much support since I joined here, and it's a whole new level compared to what I used to do. I cannot even begin to put into words how much this means to me. **

**I know I'm making it sound like the story is over, and believe me, it's FAR from over! There's so still much to come, but I just thought it'd be a good time to express my appreciation.**

**As I said, it means the world to me that people support what I do. Especially recently, because I've been having a bit of a tough time lately. I won't go into details because I'll just end up boring you and then I'll cry and Lord knows I've done enough of that. So in light of that, I just wanted to say a massive thank you to someone who's been there for me through it all. My big sis, Ashley (ObsessivePrincess), is just incredible. She's there for me no matter what. And I know that there's a well...a bit of a big age gap between us, but you really are just like my big sister. You're there for me through it all, no matter what. Even though I know you'd probably prefer to be chatting to Jenna or like, people your own age, you still make time for me. You still include me. And I love you for it, I really do. You never had to listen to me whining about things that seemed pathetic compared to your bigger problems, but you still did. And I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've ever done for me, you mean the world to me. I love you, big sis. :)**

**Okay, right, now that's done, ha. I need to reply to your reviews!**

**KTxx: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! You really didn't have to go read every chapter and review every one, but thanks all the same! You're awesome! And I promise I'm going to review MTMTE today, but things have been so crazy I haven't had a chance! You're so sweet for reviewing every chapter, thanks sweetie! :)**

**Libby: Hi again! I missed your reviews funnily enough, LOL. Thank you for reviewing regardless of your opinion. I have changed some things in upcoming chapters, and it's hopefully going to appeal to you as well, but that may not come across until later. It is a difficult move, but there are so many harder moves in comparison. But as I've said, Haley is National Champ, so she has to up her game to beat Rachel, but yeah. It may up her DOD and beat Rachel but who's to say it'll be good enough to beat the Chinese? ;) Haha, I've said too much. Anywho, thanks for your review, enjoy this chapter! (Well at least I hope you do.)**

**naley12: Thanks for your review! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you enjoy this one just as much! Not as much Naley but you'll see why! :)**

**So that's it for now..enjoy this chapter! :) Shoutout to my beta othfan1919 for being so amazing! :)**

**Chapter 16**

**No-one's POV**

Rachel Gatina was definitely something. She was fiery, flirty and most of all, she was a rule breaker. She may be all of those things, but one thing stood out above them: she was a damn good gymnast. She would never allow herself to let anything come between her and that spot on the Olympic podium in 2012, _especially _not Haley James.

She thought the girl was originally, just another girl to compete with. But she shocked everyone at Nationals when she won. Nobody expected it, not even her. Every day, Rachel told herself that Haley winning was just a fluke, a one-time thing, a stroke of luck. She didn't think she could do it again.

As she walked into Hillview training centre for her day of National Team practice, she spotted something unusual. Something she wouldn't normally see at a National Team practice: a boy; a fine boy at that. Who was he? Why was he here? Why on earth was he wasting his time at Hillview? All of these questions buzzing around her head; she had to find out everything.

She decided to find these things out for herself. The National Committee wasn't here yet; she had plenty of time to talk to him. She walked over there with a slight strut in her step; her long red hair pulled back into two tight French plaits at the back of her head.

As she approached him, the tall, raven-haired boy wondered what she wanted with him. He saw her approach, and he already knew who she was, no introduction needed. Haley talked about her enough; he'd know the girl from a mile away. He knew exactly what she was like, and he wasn't going to get himself involved with her.

"Hello, handsome." She spoke seductively, trying to get his attention.

"Rachel Gatina. To what do I owe the great pleasure?" He replied, hinting at the sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh, so you already know who I am? Well of course you do. Now that you know who I am, why don't you tell me your name?" She pressed, desperate to find out who the new addition was.

"Nathan. Nathan Scott." He answered, extending his hand. He didn't want to be rude to her, she might be flirt, but he was with Haley. He wasn't going to just hook up with her biggest competition because she showed an interest.

"Well hey there, Nathan Scott. You're certainly a fresh face around here. How come I've never seen you before?" She shook his hand and gave a sly grin.

"Maybe that would have something to do with the fact that you train in Charlotte, while I train here? I'm not usually around for National Team practices, but coach let me stay today." He explained, as the confused look etched on her face started to clear.

"Care to tell me why?" She asked, moving closer to him.

"Not really. Look, all you need to know is that my father is Dan Scott." He started. "I quit for a while, because I thought it would free me of my dad. But the only real way to do that is to beat him. So here I am, back to beat my dad."

"Ouch, sounds like you've got it tough. So what'd you say I take you out later and you can tell me all about it?" She was trying her best here, and she really wanted this date.

"No thanks, Rachel." He answered.

"Oh come on, you know we'd totally make a hot couple. And sneaking around would be kinda hot, too. And you're definitely hot. Considering you're single, I don't see why you'd say no." She pressed, moving herself even closer to Nathan, so that they were practically on top of each other.

"Rachel, I said no, alright? I'm not interested." He said, moving away from the red-head.

"Alright, fine. But you should know I'm not giving up on you." She said, and turned her head to see the National Committee arriving. "That's my cue. I'll see you later, sexy."

As she walked off to join the rest of her team mates, Nathan was left standing confused and awkward. Rachel Gatina was just flirting with him. He looked over to Haley and saw her about to launch into her double Arabian. He watched as she failed to execute the move as perfectly as he knew she could, and wondered what could put her off like that?

_Crap. _He thought to himself. _She saw Rachel flirting with me. _

He knew she didn't trust Rachel, but surely she trusted him enough to believe that he wanted nothing to do with Rachel? The amount of times she's complained about her would be enough to put him off. She had to know that, right?

But what if she didn't? He kept thinking about how sensitive she'd been during the course of their relationship, every time they got close, or he tried to take things a little step further, she was incredibly upset with him. He'd tried not to do it, but it was hard.

Maybe there was reason for it? If something had happened to her prior to her relationship with Nathan; maybe something had affected her in such a way that it made it hard to trust him. He wasn't sure. He knew she wasn't one to break the rules, but he didn't know about any past relationships. Maybe there wasn't any. Maybe there was. He didn't know. If there was, why hadn't she told him about them?

Had something happened to her in a previous relationship? Nathan felt so furious and upset that anyone would do something to _his _Haley. She was sweet, kind-hearted, selfless and completely caring, why would anyone do something to _her?_

Practice went by quicker than he expected it too, but Haley was still avoiding him. He knew she had to avoid him as much as possible anyway, but even during the break they were given, she hadn't made any attempt at talking to him. Nor had she even looked at him. Even when he'd tried to talk to her during their break, explain that Rachel flirting with him wasn't what she thought it was, she blanked him.

He had to try and get through to her; he couldn't let her believe that he wanted Rachel instead of her. He needed her to know that she was the one he wanted to be with, and find out what happened to her to make her feel like this. He'd imagine she'd be upset and a tad jealous anyway, but she was completely ignoring him. She was acting as if he had done wrong, when he in fact brushed off Rachel's flirting.

He watched her as she swung round the higher of the uneven bars so gracefully yet so powerfully it was as though it was the most natural thing in the world. But then, it kind of was for her. He knew he, too, should be practicing, but he couldn't take his eyes from her.

As she executed her landing, she looked over to him and began to give him a small smile, before turning her head to see Rachel standing behind her. She looked back to him for a moment and gave him a look which he thought meant she was mad, but once he looked closer and really stared into her eyes, he noticed the hurt.

"Hey, hot stuff. You changed your mind about that date yet?" Rachel said as she walked over to him.

"Rachel, I'm serious. Leave me alone. I'm not into you, okay? Get that into your head and stop trying to flirt with me." He replied, as his eyes scanned the room for the sight of his girlfriend. Possible ex-girlfriend if Rachel didn't stop talking to him.

After practice, he scanned the car park for sight of the girl who's been invading his thoughts all day. He couldn't see her, and he wasn't surprised. As soon as practice was over, she tore out of the gym like a rocket. She was probably well on her way home. He sighed as he gave up the search, and walked towards his car. The car park was pretty much empty now; he guessed everyone had gone home already. All had left, except one that was still hanging around.

"What do you want Rachel?" He spoke, seeing the red headed girl standing beside him.

"Last change to change your mind, sexy. You know you want me. And you know we'd make a totally hot couple, sneaking around and all." She flirted, moving closer and closer to Nathan until they were pretty much touching.

"Look, Rachel –"He was silenced as she cut him off. She didn't speak; she simply leaned up and planted her lips on his. He could feel her smirking into the kiss, knowing she was getting exactly what she wanted. These weren't the soft, strawberry tasting, perfect lips he was used to kissing. _Haley. _He thought, as he pushed the red headed girl away and looked at her. "Are you crazy! I told you, I'm not into you! Someone could've seen us!"

He looked around the near-empty car park to see if they'd been caught by anyone, and from what he could see, nobody but him and the girl in front of him were around.

"Oh please, nobody's around. We'll be fine." She stated, before looking up at him. "I don't know what's stopping you, but I know you still want me. And when you finally realise it, give me a call, okay?" She winked, handing him a piece of paper. He shoved it in his jacket pocket mindlessly, before watching her walk away. He looked around one last time, just to be sure. Nobody was around.

At least, he thought so.

In the distance, a small, blonde girl stepped out where she had been hidden the past couple of minutes. She'd seen _everything. _


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So I know it usually takes me ages to update, but after the terrible first day back at school I've had, I really felt like this was my only escape. I won't go into it all, but just know that basically, I've never been more miserable. Everything seems to be falling apart right in front of me, and all I can do is sit back and watch it happen. My 'best friend' doesn't even feel like my best friend anymore, and we've been best friends for nearly 13 years. I really don't want to watch our friendship fade away but there's nothing I can do. I don't fit in with her or anyone else, I'm just me. That's all I want to say because lord knows I don't need any more tears today. **

**I'm sorry for dumping this all on you, I doubt you need to know about my horrible life, you've all got your own problems to deal with. Thank you for the reviews as always, they really are the only thing that's keeping me smiling at the moment. **

**Replies:**

**Ashley/ObsessivePrincess: I love you! That's all I'll say 'cause I told you everything else last chapter. And you already know it. Thanks for caring, sis. 3**

**KTxx: Thank you! I really hope it does too, but for now it only seems to be getting worse. Thank you again for the comment on my writing, ha! Means alot. You're pretty amazing too! And I swear I'm going to review MTMTE like, now. I promised I would but I didn't, sorry! :( We all want Rachel to be hit by a bus. :) Except in your fic, 'cause she's cool in that. Bless you, Junk never really seems to have fans. :P Thanks for all your comments, hope you enjoy this one too! :)**

**Libby: I see what you're saying now! Sorry about that, I'm a tad thick. Well thanks for continuing to give me criticism, it helps me get better. When I said I changed things, I meant like, adding more Brooke/Peyton/another character you'll meet soon enough/Lucas. I'm working on changing the whole "too perfect" thing as the fic goes on, I promise I'm trying. I see where you're coming from now, and I really will try and change something soon. I hope your patient enough to wait out the chapters for the changes! :)**

**Hope you enjoy this one, review as normal!**

**Chapter 17**

**No-one's POV**

The petite blonde watched as the tall, raven haired young man climbed into his car and drove away from the gym. She couldn't believe what she had just seen, and she was upset and angry that this was happening to her all over again.

She resented him for letting the kiss happen; she resented him for flirting with the hoe bag; she resented him for letting anything happen between them. So maybe it was just a little harmless flirting, maybe it was a kiss that she insinuated, but she had the right to be upset and she most definitely had the right to be angry.

Right now, she needed the comfort of her family and her friends.

But she couldn't tell her friends. She couldn't let on that anything was the matter, because they'd just press until they found out and she couldn't risk them finding out about Nathan.

She'd only told her mother and her older sister, Quinn. She didn't trust Taylor; she had the biggest mouth of the family and would most definitely blab to her father, which she couldn't risk. She loved Vivian dearly, she really did, and she was much like Haley; smart, strong and independent, but she was so serious about everything. She would probably say something along the lines of "he's not good enough for you" or "he's only going to hurt you" and that is not what she wanted or needed to hear. She didn't dare tell her older brothers, they'd probably threaten to kill him and then tell her father. She couldn't handle that.

She took a deep breath as she pulled into the driveway of her home, and momentarily thought about what she was going to tell her mother and sister. They had warned her about this, and they had told her they would support her and be there for her, but it didn't change the fact that they had warned her. Yet she insisted he wasn't like that; and he wouldn't dare to hurt her. _I guess I was wrong. _She thought to herself.

She leaned her head against the wheel and took a final deep breath, looked in the mirror in front of her, and tried to make it less obvious she was upset. She picked up her gym bag from the backseat, and headed inside.

She climbed the stairs to her room, hearing nothing but silence falling upon the house. She walked into her room, and took in the familiar surroundings before throwing her gym bag down by her door, and changing into a yellow cami top and a pair of pale pink shorts. She took her hair down from its tight up-do and brushed it through, before pulling back her fringe and keeping it in place with a few hair slides.

She figured since nobody was home she should make a start on the recent algebra homework she'd been given by her home tutor, after all, she needed to maintain at least a B average in all subjects to be able to continue her elite career. She grabbed her algebra book and sat at her desk, staring at the problems on the page.

It was a while before she did anything but stare at the problems on the page. She didn't understand any of it. Her tutor was off kissing her biggest competition, when he should be kissing her. She sighed and closed her book, realising the pointlessness of the situation. She wouldn't understand it if he wasn't helping her to understand it, and while her mind was still constantly wandering back to the kiss, she would never get it right.

She heard the front door go a moment later and hoped it was him, before realising he wasn't going to come. She sighed and headed downstairs to greet whoever had just walked into the house, forgetting to actually pretend she was okay in case one of her siblings or father came home.

As she came to the bottom of the stairs and saw the camera bag, she knew it could only be one person. Quinn.

Quinn was several years older than Haley, and was now about half way through college, and was the second oldest sister after Vivian. Taylor was the closest in age to Haley, but she was never close with her like she was with Quinn. Quinn was trustworthy, reliable, and best of all mentally stable. Taylor clearly wasn't.

Taylor liked to throw parties or go to parties every night; get drunk and hook up with a random guy she had probably only just met, and then wake up in the morning with the biggest hangover but not regretting a minute of her antics.

Quinn, on the other hand, was the sensible kind, like Haley. She preferred to stay in than go to parties, and saved herself for relationships instead of random hook ups every night. She was much like Haley in that respect.

Haley stood still, trying to listen out for her sister. What she didn't expect was for her to jump out from behind her and scare her half to death.

"Quinn!" She complained, swatting her sister's arm.

"What? She questioned in reply.

"Don't do that! You scared me half to death."

"Sorry, Hales. Hey, do you think you can give me a hand getting my stuff to my room?"

"Whatever." She mumbled, picking up some of her sisters things and taking them upstairs to her room.

"Hey, Haley-bob, what's up little sis?" She questioned, noticing the thoughtful look upon her sisters face.

"It's nothing. Really, it doesn't matter." As much as she wanted to open up, she couldn't. She was afraid. Afraid of the 'I told you so' or the 'I'm sorry'. She couldn't handle them.

"Haley, come on. You know you can tell me anything." She replied softly, placing her things on the floor and sitting next to her youngest sister. The younger of the two girls looked up at her older sister, and knew she couldn't hide behind the lie anymore. She couldn't pretend like she was okay, because she wasn't. She had to talk to someone, and she'd rather it be Quinn than anyone else. She looked up at her with tears forming in her eyes, ready to spill. "Oh, Hales. Come here sis." The older of the two girls said, pulling her sister against her in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry." The younger blonde mumbled against her sister, her tears now soaking into the red cami top her sister was wearing.

"Haley Bob James, don't you dare apologise. You've done nothing wrong, now come on, tell me what's wrong." The dark haired girl replied, pulling her sister from her and looking at her.

The younger girl's body was racked by her sobs; she was afraid. She was afraid the same thing was going to happen to her again. She was afraid to let somebody in and have her heart broken again.

The petite blonde girl looked up at her dark haired sister and began to explain what she had seen.

"Nathan. Rachel was flirting with him at practice today, and he was flirting back." She took a deep breath as she prepared to continue her story. "I was ignoring him, I couldn't talk to him. So after practice, I was walking to my car, and I saw them, together. I hid behind a tree so they wouldn't see me and I watched them. He was standing by his car, and Rachel came over. I think she was flirting with him again, but I don't know. Then I looked at them, and she kissed him. He kissed her back, Quinn. What am I going to do?" The young girl cried, looking up at her sister with the tears freely rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, Hales. Come here sweetie." The older girl replied, pulling her sister in for another tight embrace, stroking her arm in an attempt to calm her down. "Listen, Haley. I know this is hard, okay? But don't let this affect you, alright? You need to put all your energy and focus on kicking ass at practice tomorrow. You need to show those assholes at the NGO that you're the national champion, and make them regret not taking you to London. Can you do that for me?" She questioned, looking at her sister.

"I'll try." The younger girl replied.

**Reviews please?**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys! You've no idea how much they've cheered me up throughout this horrible week. I completely broke down yesterday and got in a huge fight with my mom and my sister and just broke down completely. I was distraught for hours. As for the whole 'best friend' situation, it's not entirely fixed but I know she still wants to be friends. It's hard because I've known her since I was 2/3 years old and I don't want to lose her.**

**Oh and also, you can all thank Katie (KTxx) for this update, she told me too. :P**

**Anyway, review replies!**

**KTxx: aww I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, lol. I ADORE Quinn/Haley! I love writing them. Thanks for the advice. It's good to know somebody is there. With us it's more that she's smart, pretty and popular and I'm just smart. I don't fit in her world and she has her own friends now so I kind of feel like I'm not as important anymore. But I know she still loves me and I love her, so that's what counts, right? :) Thanks for your review!**

**naley12: Glad you like it! I like writing it. Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

**LaffertyGirl85: Awww, thank you so much for taking the time to read it! I'm glad you're enjoying it. :) I love Make it or Break it too! :D Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

**Chapter 18**

**No-one's POV**

Haley awoke the next day at the shrill sounding of her alarm. Getting up at 5am every morning had taken some getting used to, but she'd been an elite gymnast since she was 10. After 7 years, she'd pretty much mastered it.

She climbed out of bed and pulled her leotard from her closet as she did the day before, placing it on her bed while she dressed. She picked up her leotard and pulled it on over her underwear. She checked her appearance in the mirror and made sure her straps were completely hidden. She pulled her leotard up further, just to be sure, before pulling her National team tracksuit over it.

She grabbed her brush, brushing out her slightly wavy, long hair and separating it into two equal strands. She pulled her hair into two tight French plaits, tucking the parts that hung below the nape of her neck under the rest and securing them in place with several bobby pins, and tying them off with ribbons to match the colours of her leotard, just to be sure.

She wasn't usually this obsessive about her appearance, usually she would just pull her hair into a tight ballerina bun, and be done with it, but today she felt she had to pull out all the stops. She had to make a good impression on the NGO at practice, in more ways than just her gymnastics. She had to be perfect. Appearance wise, gymnastics wise, attitude wise, she had to be perfect _everything _wise.

She quietly made her way downstairs with her gym bag, placing it down by the door before she walked into the kitchen. She tried to be as quiet as possible whilst she made herself breakfast, she didn't want to wake anyone up. She ate her breakfast in silence as she always did, flicking through the latest copy of a gymnastics magazine.

She wasn't one for gossip, but she needed to know the lowdown on her competition. It may same vain that she bought magazines with the face of herself and her team mates plastered all over the front cover, but bad press could be a disaster for her. Plus she liked to keep a track of her career, something to show her children when she was older.

She finished up her breakfast before placing her plate in the sink and heading to the door. She picked up her gym bag and walked out to her car, throwing it into the backseat.

The drive to the gym seemed longer than it usually was. She tried to clear her head of any thoughts that weren't to do with her practice today, but it wasn't working to her favour.

The constant images of Nathan and Rachel were flooding her mind; she was drowning and she couldn't find a way out. She was most likely going to have to face him again today; she knew he would be training again. She didn't want to ignore him, she didn't want to break up with him, she didn't want to argue with him, but she had to protect her heart amidst it all. She didn't want to risk being hurt again. It hurt her so much the last time round, she wasn't sure if she'd make it through again.

She pulled up at the gym a while later, realising that she would have to give him a chance to explain, it may be the best thing for her to do. Although whatever excuse he gave her wouldn't be good enough, she owed it to herself and to him to give him a chance to explain.

She pulled into her parking space as she did every morning, grabbed her bag from the backseat and pulled out her phone. She'd turned it off last night to avoid any messages or calls from Nathan trying to justify his flirting with Rachel. Or not flirting.

He didn't know she had seen Rachel kiss him, and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want to keep secrets from her, but it was for the best. She shouldn't know today on the day that is potentially deciding the rest of her career.

He'd sent her countless messages, called her numerous times, but to no avail. She ignored him every time.

As she turned on her phone again, she ignored the numerous alerts telling her of her missed calls, voicemails and text messages, and simply composed a new message.

_Meet me at the park, after practice. We need to talk._

Nathan Scott was preparing himself for another day at the gym. It was another day training to beat his father. He felt it was his only option to truly be free of him.

He was driving to the gym earlier than he had too, and would probably sit in the car park for a while, hoping to spot Haley so he could explain yesterday to her. He had no idea how much she had seen, but it was pretty obvious she saw something. The whole ignoring him and his contact was the proof for that.

He'd just pulled into the car park when his phone beeped, signalling that he had a message. He opened it, relieved that she was finally talking to him. It may only be a text message, but he was thankful it was anything at all. He quickly typed out a response, not caring if he seemed desperate, but thankful for the chance to explain himself. _At least he hopes so._

He needed to tell her how much he regretted what yesterday seemed like, even though it was nothing like it seemed. Of course he'd assure her of that. He would tell her he's sorry, that he wants her so much, and would never do anything to hurt her. And most of all, he'd let her know that he didn't want Rachel. He didn't want her sexually; he didn't want her as a girlfriend.

The only girl for him was her. Haley James. 17 year old national gymnastics champion of the USA 2010.

_I'll be there, I promise. I miss you, Hales. Xo _

He watched her swing gracefully around the higher of the uneven bars; she had power and grace rolled into one. He knew this day was important to her; and he didn't want to distract her, but he couldn't help staring at her. She'd revoked all of her routines since her Nationals win, and her DOD now stood higher than anyone else on the team. Not taking her to China would be a major mistake.

She executed her dismount perfectly, as he knew she would, before sticking the landing with her arms raised. He studied her facial expressions intently, and before he knew it, she was mounting the bars again to repeat her routine. She knew she was good; but Marty had thought she could do better; so she repeated her routine.

It was clean, efficient, and graceful just as it was the previous time she'd performed; but she looked determined to prove herself. He watched her perfectly execute her dismount and stick her landing once again, and watched as Marty congratulated her on her perfect execution.

He continued to keep an eye on her throughout the practice; whilst trying to appear training himself. She was really putting her every ounce of energy into her routines; and she looked to be taking no prisoners.

China was her goal; and there was only two people standing between her and making the team for China; and that was Marty, and the queen of cold herself, Ellen Biels.

Ellen had it out for the girls at Hillview; they were convinced of it. She hated admitting that they were good enough to go to big meets; more than that; she hated taking them to them. Not because they were rebellious; they followed the rules; simply because she worked in close alliance with the team at Charlotte Elite; where the NGO were situated.

But even Ellen couldn't deny that Haley; Brooke and Peyton were all good enough to make the team that competes against China. Everyone knew it would be a huge mistake not to take them; the team would miss out on medalling in many events; possibly all.

Haley was ranked number one in the senior women's gymnastics category; the national champion. They couldn't say they had the best girls competing against the best team in the world without the national champion.

As National team practice came close to the end, Marty called the girls altogether to announce the team for the China meet. He listened intently for the names called out by the coach.

"We made our final decision." He began. "As you all know, the competition was very tight today. But, of course, we can only take six of you to China. Congrats to the following girls:"

"Isabella." So Haley wasn't first choice, maybe it was in a random order?

"Jessica." 4 places left, 3 girls from Hillview.

"Rachel." This couldn't be right.

"Peyton." Finally, a Hillview girl made the team. Haley and Brooke had to be next, right?

He watched the girls as they gripped hands. The look on their faces had told him and everyone else they were praying the final two names were theirs. Marty looked up at the two girls briefly before looking back down at his list and announcing the names of the last two girls going to compete against China.

"Alicia." One place left on the team, 7 girls left fighting for it.

"And finally: Madison." 6 girls on the team, 6 girls left behind.

Neither Haley nor Brooke had made the team, and they were top ranked at Hillview. They were top ranked in the country. How could they say they have the best team possible for competing against the best team in the world without the top two nationally ranked gymnasts?

The two girls were devastated. They'd worked harder than ever before to make this team, and their dreams were taking from them in an instant. And Marty showed no remorse. Not a single drop, ounce, inch, whatever you measured it in, he had none.

The girls looked over at their coach, who looked equally as devastated for them. He'd trained his girls hard, he'd conditioned them to their limits, perfected their routines to a T. How could they not all make the team at this point?

"I'm going to China!" Peyton exclaimed.

"I can't believe this." Haley stated, staring blankly at nothing, still holding a tight grip on her best friends hand.

"But it won't be as much fun without you guys." Peyton spoke, moving back to stand in line with her friends.

Rachel left her place in the line-up, and walked over to the three girls. "But I'm the National champ." She mocked. "Don't you get it, Haley? Nobody cares. Your reign is over."

She walked off, but not before giving a cheeky wink to Nathan. He really didn't want any more flirting added to the list of things Haley was mad at him for.

As practice ended, Nathan stole a glance at Haley. She looked to be in deep conversation with Brooke and Tom, so he figured he'd drive to the park and wait for her there.

As he pulled up at the park, waiting for Haley to arrive, he thought about the conversation that lay ahead. He was scared.

He would've never admitted it before he met her, but he was scared. Scared of losing her; scared of her not believing him; scared of _her. _She could be pretty scary when she wanted to be, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of that.

He thought about what he would say to her, and mentally prepared a speech for when she arrived. He had to let her know that he was sorry, and that he didn't mean to let Rachel flirt with him. He didn't want to lie to her about the kiss, but he couldn't tell her. It would break her heart and he wouldn't be the one to do that to her.

He stepped outside of his car, noticing the silver convertible pulling up next to him. He took one look at her and realised he had to remember to breathe when she was around.

Still clad in her leotard, with a pair of Hillview shorts she wore on warmer days outside of the gym, her hair still perfectly in place and still a little sweaty from practice, she still took his breath away. She was _gorgeous. _

He walked closer to her, eager to close the distance between them. He stopped before he came too close, realising going to kiss her probably wasn't the best idea at that moment. A silence fell between the pair as they both awaited somebody speaking first.

"I'm sorry." He spoke first, realising he most probably should apologise.

"Sorry for what? For letting Rachel flirt with you?" She replied, trying not to let the emotion take over her.

"I'm sorry for everything. For being an ass, by letting Rachel flirt with me, for not treating you properly, like the princess you deserve to be treated like. Haley, I'm just sorry, okay? I know I have my flaws, and I know I'm not perfect, but I promise you, you're changing that. You've made me realise what an ass I was, and I want to change for you. I want to be someone who's good enough for you. And right now, I know I'm not." He spoke, moving a step closer to her, placing his hand on her cheek and stroking it tenderly. "Haley, you're the only girl for me. You're the only one I want. I promise you that."

She looked into his eyes and knew he meant every word he was saying. Her own eyes filled with tears as she listened to him speak, a mixture of happy and sad tears. She was happy with everything he was saying; he was saying all the right things. But she couldn't help but feel a sense of betrayal. She witnessed him cheating on her, maybe not sexually, but a kiss still counted as cheating to her.

She felt betrayed that he wouldn't tell her about it. Granted, he didn't know that she knew, but shouldn't he at least tell her what happened?

He thought he was protecting her; she thought he was lying to her.

"Nathan, I really like you. Honestly and truly, I think I'm falling for you. But I can't be with somebody who lets other girls flirt with him, who lies to me." She whispered the very last part as her voice cracked with emotion and the tears she'd been trying so hard to keep at bay fell freely down her cheeks.

"Haley, I would never lie to you. I swear."

"So why didn't you tell me you were kissing Rachel?" She cried, looking up at him and noticing his face fall.

"How do you know about that?" He questioned.

"So you're not denying it?"

"Haley, I –"

"Nathan, don't waste your breath. I saw you, okay? I saw the two of you together, after practice yesterday. I knew I was taking a risk when we started dating, but I didn't ever think you'd lie to me; especially not about something like this." She wiped her eyes furiously.

"Haley, I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. I swear to you, that's the truth. She kissed me and I pushed her away. I already told you: you're the one for me Haley James." He said.

"Nathan, I'm sorry. I've been down this road before, and I won't do it again." She said, not intending to let him find out about her previous experience with boys who lie.

"Haley, what do you mean?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. Okay?"

"It's clearly something. What aren't you telling me?" He pressed, determined to find out. "Did somebody hurt you?"

Her tears continued to fall as he pressed further, recalling the painful experience prior to her relationship with Nathan.

"Haley, please. Talk to me." He moved closer to her, stroking her cheek once again.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you, but not here. Can we go somewhere private?"

"Alright, we can go to my place. My parents are out. Is that okay?"

"Sure, I'll follow you back."

They got in their cars, and drove back to his beach house, realising nobody would be home. She anticipated the conversation ahead, but she knew she'd had to tell him at some point, but apparently she'd have to tell him sooner than she thought.

**_Reviews? _**

**_PS - Next chapter - Haley tells him everything. Dramatics all round. :P_**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys :) I only got two on the last chapter but I'm not too dissapointed to be honest, because reviews make me smile, no matter what. For my UK readers who know what GCSEs are, you'll know you don't necessarily take them until like, year 10/11. I just took my first two this year. I'm year 9. Business Studies is compulsory because that's our specialism, but I got entered early into a Sociology exam. I'm so scared about my results, ha! I got and A on my Business exam, and now to maintain it I need 52/60 marks on my controlled assessment. Oh dear. |: Anywho, just to tell you a little story; it was my best friends 14th birthday on Monday :) She went to Nandos to celebrate last Friday but I was in Manchester. It was the first time I haven't been to her birthday party in 11 years of birthdays. I felt so bad. :(**

**So anyway, I was in Manchester for my great uncles golden wedding anniversary. The hotel was so posh, and I was just sat there eating chicken nuggets. lol. I was watching my 2 year old cousin at the same time...she's such a cutie! Anywho, I had a great time. On the way, on the motorway (US people I guess that's like your highway), we saw a herd of cows walking across a bridge. On the M6. LOL. I've never laughed so much. My 19 year old cousin goes "Do those cows think it's socially acceptable to walk across the M6?" Bahahahahaha. And my great uncle doesn't even care for this holiday his daughter booked for him and the family. LOL. Anywho, review replies!**

**KTxx/Katie: Thank you for your advice chick, really helped me out. I was just paranoid. But it's okay now. I love your attempt at understand, "stupid gymnastics people for not letting them on the team thing", hahaha. :P Sorry. I have a plan though. :) And Rachel, well she's Rachel. Hope you enjoy this chapter. One of my favourites to write, actually. :P No idea why, just is. I hope you enjoy this.**

**naley12/Zara: Thanks sweet! :) I did that on purpose to get you all to read this one. :P Hope you like this, get well soon chick! :)**

**Enjoy the chapter guys!**

**Chapter 19**

She followed him back to his beach house, dreading the thought of having to relive her horrible past. It terrified her enough as it was, without the added pressure of having to talk to her maybe boyfriend about it. She wasn't entirely sure she was ready to tell him, but now she'd told him she would, she'd have to be ready.

As she pulled up at the large house, she took a deep breath; mentally preparing herself for the daunting task that lay ahead of her. She thought about what she should tell him. _Tell him the truth, obviously. _She thought to herself. But how could she tell him the truth, when she was hiding behind a lie herself?

She stepped out of the comfort of her car, and followed Nathan into the beach house. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible, but she was clearly anxious. He didn't know if he should say something, maybe ask her if she had a preference as to where they sat.

She didn't, so he sat her down on the long leather sofa, and then sat close to her, staring deep into her eyes. He didn't want to move too close in case he made her uncomfortable, but he was dying to be near her. He hated that she thought he lied to her, even though he technically did. As much as he tried to deny that it was lie, and that he was protecting her from the truth, in reality, it would always be a lie.

But right now, he didn't care. He just needed to listen to his maybe girlfriend and let her speak. Whatever she needed to say was obviously painful for her; the expression on her face gave that much away. There was a silence surrounding the two, and he thought it best to break it.

"So…are you going to talk to me?" He asked, not wanting to force her into anything.

"Yes." She replied with a simple nod of her head. "But listen, Nathan. Before I tell you this, I need you to know something. It's not pleasant, and I've only ever told one of my sisters and my mom. Nobody else knows anything. This is really hard for me, okay? I just need you to listen and not say anything, you got that?"

"Got it, loud and clear." He replied. She nodded her head in response and began her story.

"So you remember when I took all that time off a few months back?" He nodded in response to her question, before letting her continue. "Well, there was a reason."

***Flashback***

_They'd just arrived back from New York. It was their last Nationals, and Haley James of Hillview Gymnastics Training Centre had won the all-around gold medal. She was the new National Champion. Tree Hill couldn't be prouder of their hometown winner. She was destined for greatness, everyone knew it. _

_The town were holding a parade along the streets to celebrate the stars of their town. There were marching bands, baton twirlers, and a whole lot of colour. The procession continued around the town, where the 3 main cars were between the two lots of marching bands and baton twirlers. In the first car, the stars of Nationals 2009: Haley James and Nathan Scott. The hometown heroes; they were the ones to put Tree Hill on the map._

_Haley was the new Women's National Gymnastics Champion, and she held her gold medal with pride as she rode around the town. She may only be wearing her new National team jacket, but that jacket brought a whole new sense of pride to not only her, but to everyone around her. She was the first member of the Women's National Team 2009; the first and the best. The gold medallist; the golden girl; number 1: she was on top of the world and yet she still managed to remain the humble small town girl she was brought up as._

_Riding next to her was Men's National Silver Medallist: Nathan Scott. He was the big man at the gym, and god only knows which girl he had in his bed that day. He was Tree Hill's man-whore if you like, the biggest player there was. He wanted girls, and girls wanted him. They would fall over themselves and bend over backwards for Nathan. If Nathan asked them for something: they'd get it. If he asked them to do something: they'd do it. He, unlike Haley, hadn't won the gold medal, but Tree Hill was celebrating for him, too. _

_In the car behind them, 2 more members of the Women's National Team 2009: Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer. Brooke donned the bronze medal, after losing out to Rachel Gatina of Charlotte Elite Gymnastics Training Centre by a tenth of a point. She was gutted, but she was happy for her best friend, Haley, taking home the gold. Peyton hadn't medalled, but she was the 4__th__ member of the National Team, after losing out to her team-mate, Brooke, by a mere fraction of a point, just like Brooke had done with Rachel. They were celebrating too, it may have mainly been about Haley, but they were celebrating their success just as Haley was._

_In the final car of the procession; Hillview coach: Thomas Belloff and gym manager; Lucy Van Horne. They were responsible for the 4 members of Hillview getting onto the National teams. 3 of those were on the Women's National Team; placing 1__st__, 3__rd__ and 4__th__ respectively. _

_As they pulled up outside the gym, the mayor of the town started her presentation of pride about the gymnasts, declaring the day Haley James day. She presented the star of the day with an oversized key to the city and letting her know how proud the whole town was of her. _

_Being the humble 16 year old she was at the time, she blushed and thanked the mayor and the rest of the town for their support. _

_A while later, the young girl had completed a photo-shoot with Nathan, an interview with the local newspaper, the local radio, several gymnastics magazines and was now in the midst of her autograph signing along with her two best friends._

_At the time, nobody knew but the three girls, but Haley was secretly seeing somebody. Ethan Williams. He was also a gymnast at Hillview; however he didn't take it as serious as Haley. He trained for fun and attended public school. Haley saw him for about 2 hours each day, during the practice he would attend after his school hours; whilst she was still training her gruelling 10 hour session as she did every day. She didn't understand why he would want her of all the girls he could have; she knew most of the girls at the local high school were a lot prettier than she was. _

_But Ethan only had eyes for Haley. At least, that's what she thought. She knew all about his big ego, she dealt with that on a daily basis. She also knew he was another version of Nathan, except he attended high school. She knew about his man-whore past, and knew that he'd slept with plenty of girls before, but she tried not to let it get to her. _

_She had fallen hard for him, and there was no mistaking her feelings. The pair had been dating since Haley's 15__th__ birthday, where they shared their first kiss under a tree in the park. That day held a lot of memories, specifically since it was the day 5 years ago that she trained at Hillview for the first time as an Elite gymnast. To celebrate this and her birthday, the gym had thrown her a party. She enjoyed herself but she really needed to get away, so when Ethan suggested they take a walk to the park, she jumped at the chance. They shared a kiss, and had been dating secretly ever since. Haley had only ever told Brooke, Peyton, Quinn and her mother. _

_They'd managed to hide their relationship pretty well; and after 3 months of dating, Haley had announced her love for him and he returned the gesture. _

_He'd turned up to her autograph signing and asked for her to write 'I love you' on his picture of her; giving her that trademark smile that made her heart melts like butter. She'd smiled back at him, and as he was the very last one in the queue, she looked around to see if anybody was looking before giving him a quick peck on the lips. _

_He'd told her that there was a party at his house tonight, and gave her and the 2 girls flanking her sides an invite. They accepted, as it was their day off tomorrow anyway and today was about celebrating. They exchanged a simple "I love you" before he left the girls. _

_Haley leant back in her chair and sighed happily; glad she had found someone like Ethan. The smile was permanently upon her face, and she couldn't be happier with her life right now. New national champion, perfect boyfriend who loves her, and she loves him back. _

_Hours after the parade and the autograph signings and all interviews and photo-shoots were done for the day, Haley, Brooke and Peyton hit the mall to get some new dresses for the party. They found the perfect outfits, and they then headed to the hair salon to make sure their hair was perfect for the party, and Brooke had insisted on Haley letting them dye her hair; claiming it was her "new image" now that she was National Champion. Haley reluctantly agreed and her previous dark brown hair was now a dirty blonde colour. After hours at the mall, the girls headed to Haley's to get ready for the night ahead. _

_Brooke had insisted on doing Haley's hair and make-up, claiming she needed to learn how to flaunt without being overly whore-ish. Once she was through with her, Haley didn't recognize herself. She loved her new appearance and hugged her best friend in gratefulness for her new look. _

_Once the girls had gotten themselves ready, Brooke insisted on taking photos before they left. They all smiled for the pictures, before checking their appearance once more and heading out the door. _

_Haley wore a soft yellow dress, with a V-neckline that stopped mid-thigh. It wasn't too revealing; Brooke said it suited her angelic innocence personality. It was a floaty dress, not skin tight at all. It suited her, the simple design complementing her figure. _

_Brooke wore a slightly more revealing pink silk dress, which was a tad shorter than Haley's, with a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps. There was a silver broach in between the two parts of the chest on the dress, and it ruffled slightly at the bottom. _

_Peyton had opted for a little black dress, with a blue bow covering the top of the dress, ending just below her chest. The dress, like Brooke's, was quite short and the blue bow was made from silk. _

_As they arrived at the party, Haley instantly scanned the crowd for Ethan. She caught his eye and he sent her a cheeky wink with a smirk to match; whilst he continued chatting to some friends she guessed was from school. She smiled in response and walked over to him. She guessed seeing as Ethan was throwing the party that she, Brooke and Peyton would be the only ones from the gym there, as he didn't particularly try to make himself friendly at practice. If that was the case, maybe it wouldn't be so bad for them to hang out? What are his high school friends going to do, they didn't know her. _

_She walked over to her secret boyfriend, standing beside him and placing a kiss on his cheek as he laughed at a joke one of his friends had made. He gripped her hand tightly, entwining their fingers and stroking the back of her hand as he introduced her to the group of boys standing in front of them._

_"Guys, this is my girlfriend, Haley." He had said, smiling at the girl beside him. He turned to face her for a moment before he spoke. "You look amazing, babe." _

_She blushed in response before giving him a small smile and attempting to greet his friends._

_"Hey, guys." She managed to get out. She felt uncomfortable with them all staring at her, and if it wasn't for Ethan's grip on her hand, she felt she wouldn't make it out. Some of the comments she heard the guys making were making her feel even more uncomfortable, so she excused herself and went in search of her best friends. _

_She saw Brooke making herself known to some random guy, and looked to be in deep, flirtatious conversation with him. She didn't want to be involved in that, so she figured she'd look for Peyton. When she reached her friend, she looked to be in deep conversation with a boy who looked as if he could give Lucas a run for his money with the brooding. _

_She sighed as she watched her two best friends, wishing for a way out of the awkward situation. She jumped as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist and lips pressing against her neck. She turned around and placed a hand on her chest in an attempt to slow her breathing as she saw the familiar smirk of her boyfriend. _

_She placed a light kiss on his lips as she leant her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat._

_"You wanna go upstairs?" He suggested to her, taking her hand and leading her towards the stairs. She'd visited his house plenty of times; it was like her second home. But the thought of him suggesting they spend some time alone, upstairs, most likely in his room, while there was a party going on downstairs, scared her a bit._

_She knew he wasn't a bad guy, and she didn't think he'd try anything, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted something. _

_Reluctantly, she agreed anyway and ascended the stairs behind him; trying to calm her nerves. She'd rarely ever been to parties like these; she's an elite gymnast; she doesn't get out much. She was shocked to find 2 people making out on Ethan's bed when he opened the door, and he'd laughed at her innocence. He told them to leave and as they did, he stepped inside bringing Haley with him, shutting the door behind them. _

_"I'm so proud of you, babe." He whispered into her ear seductively, beginning to kiss her neck. She giggled as his lips pressed against her skin; it was nothing they hadn't done before. He moved her hair to one side to get better access as he continued kissing her neck. _

_She pulled away for a moment with a flirty smirk gracing her face, as she moved from the middle of the room to his bed. She beckoned him over with a cheeky wink and before long, the pair were furiously making out._

_They'd done it before; and that was as far as she was willing to go. He knew she wanted to wait, but he apparently had other ideas. _

_He moved one of his hands from beside her and placed it on her thigh where her dress stopped. When she didn't do anything about it, he tried moving it up a bit further. She pushed his hand back down, not saying anything. When he moved it up further once again, she repeated the action, whispering "stop it" onto his lips. _

_He ignored her request once more and moved his hand further up her thigh, underneath her dress. She tried to pull away but he was a lot stronger than she was. She continued to struggle underneath him as he continued his assault on her. _

_She could feel the tears welling in her eyes, begging to spill over, but she refused to let them. She was going to get out of here. She was; she had too. He moved his lips to her neck once more, and she continued struggling underneath him; pushing him as hard as she could. _

_"Just hold still," He whispered. "It'll be over before you know it. It won't hurt, I promise. Well, as long as you keep still it won't." _

_"Get off of me!" She said, her voice coming out quiet and thick with emotion. _

_"Quit struggling, you're making this harder than it has to be. Come on, you know you want me." He smirked, moving to push her dress further up her thighs. With a simple movement her dress was around her waist and his hands were moving to his zipper. _

_She couldn't let this happen too her, so she gathered all her courage, strength and might, and pushed his chest hard enough to get out from underneath him. Her dress fell back to its original length as she stood up, and she tried to get out as fast as she could. But he was fast, and right on her tail. _

_He grabbed her arm tightly and pushed her against the door. She moaned in pain as her head smacked against the wooden door, and the tears were now freely falling._

_"I told you not to struggle. You're just making this worse for yourself." He whispered as he stared her in the eyes. _

_He raised his left hand whilst his right held her against the door, and brought it back to land with a smack around her face. She cried and held her cheek as the pain began to get worse. She never thought he was capable of something like this. _

_Wasting no time, he moved his hand to his zipper once more, whilst his other hand moved her dress up to bunch around her waist as it had done previously. _

_She took in a final deep breath, before gathering her strength once more and kneeing the boy in front of her in the groin. As he doubled over in pain, she pulled down her dress, and headed out the door as fast as her legs would carry her. _

_The tears were falling rapidly down her face, and she just had to get out of there. She had come with Brooke and Peyton in Brooke's car, but she really didn't want to let them know what had happened. But if she walked home alone, maybe he could catch up with her. _

_She looked around to see Brooke no longer flirting with a guy, and she decided it best to get her to take her home. _

_"Brooke." She whispered as she reached her, willing herself not to cry. _

_"Hales, what's up?" She questioned noticing her red, puffy eyes. _

_"I don't want to talk about it. Please just take me home. I should've never come here. I need to get out of here: now. Please, Brooke." She pleaded._

_"Alright, calm down. Let's just get Peyton and we'll leave." The darker haired girl replied, taking her best friends hand and leading her to Peyton. "Peyton, we need to go. Are you coming?" _

_"Yes. What's up?" She asked, observing the state of her friend. _

_"She won't say. She just wants to go home." The brunette girl replied. _

_"Alright, let's go." The blonde replied, taking Haley's other hand and leading her to the car. _

_As they reached Brooke's car, Ethan had caught up with them. There was a glint of evil in his eyes as he looked at Haley, but he tried not to make it so obvious._

_"What's up with her?" He questioned, not letting on that he knew exactly what was wrong. Haley was visibly scared of him, so the girls tightened their grip on her hands._

_"Piss off, Ethan. I don't know what you've done to her, but she's scared of you. Just leave us alone." Brooke demanded, opening the door to the passenger side for Haley to sit in. _

_The dirty blonde got in the car and waited for Brooke to get in beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Ethan walk away, and hoped to god she would never have to face him again. _

_As they pulled up outside her house, she thanked the two girls and told them not to bother getting out. She climbed out of the car, closed the door and walked towards her front door. _

_She knew that her parents were gone for the weekend, visiting her oldest sister, Vivian, and her family in Atlanta. Taylor was away at college; and her brothers were never home anyway._

_That left Quinn. _

_She hoped within herself that it would be only Quinn; she was the only sister she trusted. Taylor had the biggest mouth in America and Vivian just took things too seriously. _

_Quinn was the second oldest girl, not the closest to Haley in age, but even so, she felt closest to her. _

_She opened the door and walked inside, straight to her sister's room, where she would probably be uploading her latest photos to her laptop. _

_"Quinn." She whispered as she stood in the doorway to her sister's room, her voice breaking as the tears she had been holding in the whole way home fell freely down her cheeks._

***End flashback.***

As she recalled the story to the boy in front of her, tears had fallen freely down her cheeks; just as they had done that night. She thought she had finally gotten over it, but apparently not. It was a traumatic experience for her, and she couldn't just let it go.

"Haley…I had no idea." The raven-haired boy spoke, breaking the silence between the two.

"I know you didn't. Nobody did. Like I said, I only ever told Quinn and my mom." She sniffed. "That was why I wasn't at the gym for ages. I was too scared to face him. Quinn eventually convinced me I had to talk to the police, so I did. I told them everything, and then I told my family. They were all with me at the court when he got sentenced. Brooke and Peyton still don't know."

"I'm sorry for everything. For what that bastard did to you; for treating you poorly; for flirting with Rachel; for letting her kiss me; for _everything._" He felt the anger rise inside of him as the thought of that bastard assaulting _his _girl. "Haley, please forgive me. I can't bear the thought of not being with you."

"Nathan, I really like you. Honestly, I really do. But I just…I can't be with you. Not yet, anyway. Maybe in a couple of months or something, but I…I just don't know right now." She replied, watching his fall. "I'm sorry, Nathan."

"I'll wait for you. I promise you, Haley. You're _it _for me, you're my world. And even if I have to wait until after the Olympics, I _promise _you, I'll still feel this way about you." He vowed, placing his hands over hers, staring deep into hers.

"You're sweet, but I don't expect you to wait. You don't have too. I'm sorry again, but I have to go. I have conditioning to do." She got up and placed a kiss on Nathans cheek, before turning to leave the room. "I do like you, Nathan. I just can't be with you yet, I'm sorry."

And with that, she was gone.

**_So, reviews?_**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N; Hiya guys :) I honestly don't have much to say..so I'll just get to the point!** **I've written about 3 chapters this weekend. :| And I won a signed CD from my favourite girlband, yay. :)**

**Review replies:**

**Anon: You didn't leave your name so I can't type it but I hope you know I mean you if you're reading this! Thanks for your review :) I thought Haley opening up would give us reason to why she cant be with him properly :) hope you enjoy this one x**

**Katie/KTxx: I did see your reply on tumblr, but I think by that point I was either dying from laughing at the cows, or getting lost looking for the hotel. :) After reading your review, I read the chapter back and I realise I probably should've expanded a bit more, but I hope what I did write was good enough. :P Thanks for your compliments, enjoy this one! :) x**

**naley12/Zara: thank you :) hope you like this one :) x**

**Enjoy this one! :)**

**Chapter 20**

**Haley's POV**

**A/N – ****there is a time jump in this chapter. Remember that prologue/introduction I wrote? My beta helped me out and we decided that it was written the day chapter 19 ended, so now it's past the 3 month point I originally wrote, okay? Got it? I hope so; I'm a tad confused myself. **

3 months ago, nothing would've gotten in my way. All I wanted was to keep my spot on the National Team, make it to the China meet, any meets after that; make it to Worlds and claim the all-around gold against the world's best gymnasts in London 2012.

But that was 3 months ago.

3 months later, I'm falling in love with the boy who won the silver at Nationals.

I'm falling in love with my tutor.

The cocky, arrogant, jack-ass; and I were falling in love with him.

It couldn't be happening.

Gymnastics was my life, my goal, _my dream. _I couldn't lose focus on that dream now.

But it's a little late for that.

If someone had told me 3 months ago that I'd fall in love with Nathan Scott, I would've smacked them upside the head and told them they were lying. But that was 3 months ago, and now, 3 months later, I'm head over heels for him.

I told him I needed time and I needed space, and that's what he gave me. He's been good for it. The first couple of days were hard, on both of us, but the first days of a break up or a 'break' as we called it always were, right?

Since then he's been supportive of my decision and willing to prove to me at every chance he got that he had changed and he wanted to be with me. I believed him, I really did; but I needed the time to figure things out.

I loved him. I couldn't be without him any longer. I prayed that he still felt the same way that he did that afternoon a couple of weeks back. Because since then, I've been mulling over it and I've come to the conclusion that I felt the same way. He's been there for 3 months; tutoring me to raise my grades; and helping me improve my career.

It doesn't change the fact that I didn't get to go to China; but I wasn't all that fussed over that anymore. It wasn't Nathan's fault, and I couldn't pin the blame on anybody but the NGO for not choosing me to go. Since then, Tom has had us in the gym longer hours every day; conditioning every morning and evening. We ran the hill that overlooked the town twice a day, sometimes more, depending on the time it took us.

It was strenuous, but it was the life I'd chosen for myself. If I wanted to beat Gengi Cho at Worlds, I was going to have to improve my difficulty on every apparatus and train harder than ever. If I wanted to make the team that went to Worlds, I'd have to kiss the NGOs ass for a while; but it was nothing I wasn't used too.

The six girls that competed in China lost out big time. They won 4 medals against the Chinese team; they slaughtered them. Of course Gengi took the all-around gold, as expected. Peyton didn't win any medals for the team; she choked against them. Tom wouldn't let us watch the meet; he claimed it would distract us from the real goal; beating China for ourselves.

The Chinese team were victorious as expected; and accepted an invitation to compete against the girls at Hillview. It's like gymnastics boot camp for Brooke, Peyton and I at the moment; the other 3 girls competing aren't on the National team and aren't worked as hard. They know they're only members of the team to complete the line up; but it doesn't matter to them.

Nathan has been there for me throughout all of the training I'm participating in to prepare for the meet against China.

_I couldn't even begin to risk my place here at Hillview, risking my place in this gym is like risking my place in the Olympics. It wasn't possible. Until he came into my life; well and truly throwing me off course. Before he came about, I wouldn't have ever risked my spot here, it puts my career in jeopardy. _

He was different. He was worth it. So many things have changed in three months: feelings being top of the list. My feelings towards Nathan Scott are nothing but love, affection and devotion. Three months ago, they were the complete opposite. As I said, so many things have changed.

But everything is so much more complicated than it was three months ago. Love complicates everything. I knew I shouldn't want to be with Nathan, I know I shouldn't be with him, _couldn't _be with him. But I was in love with him. He doesn't distract my competition, like Tom seems to think boys do, I manage to maintain my standards and possibly even raise them.

But forget the rules for a moment, what could I do? Be with him, and risk being expelled; or keep my feelings under wraps until after the Olympics in over 2 years and risk him not feeling the same way?

Option number one seems to be the best option at the minute. I was going to tell him how I felt; sooner rather than later.

_The next morning_

As I pulled into my parking space outside the gym for today's practice, I noticed that Nathan's car was already in his spot. I looked around and noticed that Brooke and Peyton were just pulling into the parking lot. I stepped out of my silver convertible and locked the doors, before walking to the doors to greet my two best friends.

"Hey guys." I said, wrapping my arms around the two girls in front of me.

"Hey." Brooke replied, threatening to squeeze the life out of us. We laughed and pulled away from her grasp.

"Hi, Brooke. Hey, Haley." Peyton responded.

"How's it going?" I questioned as we walked into the gym.

"Good. Training for the meet again today is going to be hell; but when isn't it? I have to rework my beam routine if I want to beat that little freak of nature." Brooke replied in typical Brooke fashion. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I totally get what you mean; Tom's working me harder than he did before Nationals. I'm upping my difficulty in everything, hoping it'll be good enough to beat Gengi." I sighed. "But I guess it's the life we chose, huh?"

"We must've been high when we agreed to do this, I'm sure of it." Peyton laughed as we walked into the locker room.

We took off the clothing covering our leotards and threw it into our lockers along with our bags, before closing them and heading out the floor mat to warm up.

"So, how's it going with Boy toy?" Brooke questioned. I'd tried to convince her so many times that there was nothing going on; but she wouldn't have it.

"Brooke, I told you. There is no Nathan and I. Never was, okay?" I replied.

"So there will be in future?"

"Brooke!" I exclaimed, leaning over from my position to slap her on the arm.

"Hey!" She pouted as Peyton and I laughed.

We sat and stretched for about 10 minutes, thoroughly stretching each muscle to make sure we wouldn't damage any during our vigorous training. We spoke about our weekends, even though we pretty much spent it together as we would this weekend. Brooke's annual gymnastics sleepover was this weekend, and as per usual, she invited Peyton and I, along with a few other girls from the gym. This year, she invited the girls that would compete with us alongside China the following weekend.

Isabella, Charlie and Melissa would be joining us on our annual sleepover, along with Rebecca and Sara who were the alternates for the meet. Brooke really did go all out, and she made sure no girl was left out this year. Well, at least the ones that were on the team, even if they were alternates. Saturday night would be our penultimate night of freedom, as from Monday, Tom was having us sleep in the gym so we could train longer and harder than usual in order to prepare for the meet against China on Saturday.

All the girls were staying at Brookes on Saturday night, and spending Sunday night with their families, as being on lockdown meant we had no contact with the outside world for a week. No families; no friends; no life.

My mom and dad would be home for once, and had made sure all my siblings would be at home for my last night. That was a disaster waiting to happen. I had no idea how they'd managed to do it; Quinn was at UCLA; Vivian was busy with…well…Vivian's always busy; Taylor's probably causing trouble somewhere out of state; Connor was at Duke on basketball scholarship; Matt was working in New York; and Aiden was working in California. But somehow, all of them would be coming home for me on Sunday.

"So, are you looking forward to our annual gymnastics sleepover this weekend?" Brooke asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Of course, when do I not look forward to a sleepover with Brooke Davis?" I laughed. "You're showing us all the leotards you designed for the meet aren't you?"

"Yes. And if I do say so myself; they're going to look fabulous. I had the country's top leotard makers make it for me. I gave them my designs and they said they'd be happy to make them. You're going to love them, I promise." She squealed. She promised they'd have no pink on them, and would be revealed to us this weekend.

"I guess I'll just have to trust you on that one. Anyway, come on, we need to practice." I laughed, standing up and holding my hands out to her. She accepted them and pulled herself up. We walked over to the two balance beams at the side of the room and Peyton followed behind.

I grabbed a springboard from the side and placed it at one end of the beam; using it to mount the apparatus. I executed my routine on the piece of wood, adding an arabesque to the landing of my front flips. It flowed with the rest of the routine; and would give me more points for creating and executing an own skill.

I finished up my routine a third time, wanting to make sure that everything was perfect. During lockdown next week, Tom would close the gym to everyone but the girls competing in the meet against China. So that left the 8 of us to train every morning; every afternoon; every evening. Brooke, Peyton, Charlie and I would be the only ones sleeping in the gym over-night; Isabella, Melissa, Rebecca and Sara were part of the team but weren't competing at the level we were. Sure we wanted them to beat China; but they weren't competing on all apparatus like we would be.

Charlie was a nice enough girl; she liked to have a laugh and to have fun just as much as we all did; but she knew when to stop. She'd been training at Hillview since we were 12; and we pretty much accepted her into our group of friends. We weren't as close to her as we were to each other; but I was certain that was going to change over the next week.

"Hi, Haley." Charlie said.

"Hey, Char." I replied. "Brooke's driving you crazy, huh?"

She nodded in response and I laughed. Charlie was probably closer to Brooke than to Peyton or me, but even she had enough sometimes.

"She's seriously driving me to insanity. All she talks about is how cute Julian looks or asks me about her hair; she's dying to impress him." She sighed. "I love her, don't get me wrong. But dear God, she could talk for America."

"That's Brooke Davis for you." I laughed once more. "Has she still not asked him out?"

Charlie shook her head in response and to say I was shocked was an understatement. Julian had been training here for about 3 months and he and Brooke had grown increasingly closer; but still no mention of a date. Brooke was crazy for him, anyone could tell that in an instant; but she insisted that he be the one to ask her out. My best friend: Brooke Davis, everyone.

I snuck a glance over at Nathan as he dismounted from the rings he was practicing on and noticed him looking back at me. I gave him a small smile and tried to calm my erratic heart beat as he smiled back.

_Dear god. _I thought to myself.

This boy had me wrapped around his little finger. I had fallen hard for him; and needed to tell him that. I was just a tad scared.

"Hales!" I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of Brooke, Charlie and Peyton calling my name. Apparently I was staring at Nathan longer than I thought.

"Huh, what?" I questioned.

"You were totally zoned out on boy toy!" Brooke exclaimed. I shushed her and looked around to make sure nobody had heard.

"Brooke!" I whisper shouted. "I wasn't zoning out on him, he just caught my eye."

"It didn't look like that from here." Charlie giggled.

"Certainly not from here either." Peyton agreed.

"Admit it James, you're into boy toy, aren't you?" Brooke questioned.

"No." _Lie._

"You totally are. You're staring at him again now."

"I'm not!" _Another lie. _

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not." _Damn, I'm far too obvious._

"It's okay if you do, you know. We won't tell on you, right girls?" The two girls nodded in response.

"Nothing's going on with us, okay?" _At least, not yet. _

"What was that?" _Crap, did I say that last part out loud?_

"Yes, you did." _Crap. _"Be careful, that's all I want to say. But you totally have to give us all the gossip this weekend."

Practice ended a while later; after seeming to drag longer than normal. But today wasn't any normal day. I was going to admit my feelings to Nathan Scott; regardless of where it left me. I needed him to know how I felt at least.

I stopped him after practice and asked if we could talk.

"Nathan." I called, walking over to him.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Can we talk?" I asked, standing in front of him.

"Um…sure, I guess. Where do you want to go?"

"Um…is your place okay? My parents are probably home and all my brothers and sisters are coming home this week; I've no idea which ones will be home but I'm guessing at least one of my brothers is." I explained.

"Sure, just follow me there, yeah?" I nodded in response as he got into his car before walking away to my own car.

I got in and sat still for a moment; _how did it come to this?_

He was only supposed to be my tutor. He was only meant to help me pass algebra for God sakes. How did I let it get so far that I'd fallen in love with him?

My focus was supposed to be purely on my gymnastics; no distractions.

But I guess that went out the window pretty much as soon as I was told Nathan was my tutor.

I'd fallen hard for him; but in all honesty; I'm completely terrified.

Nathan isn't anything like Ethan, I know that. But there's still a tiny part of me that thinks all boys are the same and that Nathan will hurt me eventually.

But I can't live a life of fear. If I did, I wouldn't be the Women's National Champion. Elite gymnastics is a scary thing to those who are just starting out. There's always the risk that you could fall and injure yourself; there's always that risk that if you don't land a move properly, you'll injure yourself.

I'm not scared of any of those risks. I've trained for this since I was 5 years old, I went elite at 10.

But there's one thing that terrifies me to the core: falling in love.

And that's exactly what I'm doing. I'd fallen in love with Nathan Scott; and it terrified me.

I started the car as I broke from my thoughts and followed him back to his house.

As I pulled up, I took a deep breath and prepared myself to face my biggest fear and tell him how I felt.

**Reviews? :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for the response for the last chapter, I really hope you like this one! I decided to update earlier than Monday because I've had the worst day ever. 3 exams in the space of 2 and a half hours. Me = dead. My ass is still numb. Thought you'd like to know ;) Haha. My brain is fried, ready to explode. I have had the same song on repeat for the past week, and I'm working on a dance for it. ;)**

**Just before I reply to the reviews, I wanna send a shoutout to my bezzin - KTxx because we had THE best conversations this week. I enjoy her company...virtual company that is. :P LOVE YOU KATIE CAT. ;) Hahahahaha. 3**

**Review replies:**

**naley12/Zara: Aww glad you liked it! :) I hope you like this one too!x**

**KTxx/Katie: LOOOOL I only just read your review again. I forgot how much it amused me the first time. You are evil. You made me think you were splitting up Naley. :( GLAD YOU FINALLY SEE IT OUR WAY. Haha, I kinda like her too. :P She's fun to write :) Rainbows! LOL this is the part that amused me so much I nearly choked. It was so random and just out there. Sorry I didn't reply to your DW question earlier...but we've established that we're both Amy/Rory shippers now. XD That's what makes you cool. ;) Hahahaha! 3 you too :) xxxx**

**windycloudcakes: Well thank you for reading! I hope this makes you excited enough. :P x**

**Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 21 **

I got out of the car, taking in the surroundings of the giant house. The last time I was here this didn't end well. But hopefully; that'll change this time around. Hopefully; I'll manage to speak and tell Nathan that I was crazy in love with him and I didn't want to be without him anymore, and he would tell me that he loves me too and wants to be with me.

But I could only hope I'd manage to speak; I might be an elite gymnast; but professing my love was not one of my best skills.

I walked over the gravel driveway towards the front of the house, following him inside once he had opened the door. I sat down on the sofa as I had done a few weeks previously; fiddling with my hands while I tried to think of the words to say to him.

"So, Haley, what did you want to talk about?" _Crap. I really should've thought this through._

_"_Um…Okay, I'm no good with words. When I'm nervous, I ramble. And I'm beyond nervous right now. I really have no idea how to say this. Oh crap, I totally didn't think about this enough. Okay, that's a lie, I think about you like, every day. Oh crap, I totally just said that out loud." _This was not going very well._

"Haley, stop." He laughed.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No."

"You are, aren't you!"

"No! Haley, what is it? You're rambling." I moved closer to him, taking his hands into mine and looking into his eyes. I took a deep breath before saying it out straight.

"I love you." I squeezed my eyes shut and anticipated his reply.

"What?" I opened my eyes and stared into his.

"I said; I love you. I'm in love with you, Nathan. I'm so crazy in love with you that it hurts when I'm not around you. When I'm with you, my heart is beating so hard, so fast and so loud I swear it could beat out of my chest or someone will hear it. I get butterflies in my stomach; I can't help but smile when you're around; your cocky smirk makes me go weak in the knees; when you kiss me, I feel like I'm in the clouds.

"Nathan, I can't be without you. 3 months ago, I would've never let myself fall in love. It was only about gymnastics and beating Genji Cho at Worlds. Then I flunked algebra so you tutored me. Now, everything's changed. I can't stop thinking about you when we're apart; and when I'm with you I feel like I can't breathe. You make my heart skip a beat and right now I swear to you, I think it's going to beat out of my chest.

"I'm sorry that I broke up with you, I'm sorry I made you wait all that time, I'm sorry for everything. I'm so in love with you, Nathan. It scares me, even if only a little, it scares me. I thought I was in love with Ethan and look where that got me. Please just…tell me you feel the same way. I had to tell you." _Wow. _

I didn't mean for it all to come out like that; but I couldn't hold it in any longer. He had to know how I was feeling. My eyes started to water as I stared into his eyes, praying that this wouldn't end the way it did last time.

"Nathan, please. Say something; anything." Ibegged.

"I love you, too, Haley." He grinned.

"You do?" I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing.

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I? You're perfect. I love you, Haley James. And someday, I'm going to make you Haley Scott." He smiled once more, and I leant forward, pressing my lips against his.

I'd always loved our kisses before, but now they were just…_different. _It was a good different, of course, but still different. It was as if something had been missing before this, and now that we'd said those three words; it was like the puzzle was complete.

Nathan was my missing puzzle piece.

The next morning, everything just seemed to have changed.

I'd purposely chosen a different leotard to wear to practice this morning. It was my newest one, and I hadn't worn it to practice as of yet. I thought since Nathan and I had just got back together properly, that he'd appreciate my new choice.

It was from Nastia Liukins new collection that she'd designed; SuperGirl. It was a black leotard, with blue trimming around the edge and as straps on the back. There was a diagonal strip across the leotard, starting at the top of the right shoulder, and covering the right side of the chest and shoulder, meeting at the side. It was multi-coloured stripes and swirls with diamantes covering it. There was a multi-coloured superman logo on the left side, and Nastia's signature on the bottom right side.

Nastia Liukin was my hero. She competed for the US multiple times at the last Olympics, and won the World championships. If I could be half the gymnast she was, I'd be more than happy.

At practice, things were also different.

I knew I had to maintain my standards whilst I wasn't with Nathan, and I had done, nobody had mentioned anything about working harder or focusing, so I guess I did a good enough job of hiding it. But now that we were together again, everything was so much easier.

Routines seemed to flow more naturally; higher DODs didn't seem so hard to pull off; and most of all, smiles seemed to be permanently fixed onto my face.

He pulled me around to the back of the annex building when I had arrived that morning, just so he could kiss me and tell me he loves me. It was small, sweet gestures like that that made my heart race even more than it did by just looking at him.

I was wearing my club tracksuit over my leotard at the time, so he hadn't seen it until I took off the tracksuit and stepped out onto the mat to start stretching. As usual, Brooke, Peyton and Charlie were waiting for me.

"Morning, Haley." They chorused.

"Hi, girls. We all alright?" I said as I hugged each of them in turn.

"Yes."

"Yep."

"Sure."

"Good, glad to hear it." I replied.

"Oh my god, Haley is that a Nastia Liukin leo!" Brooke exclaimed.

"It sure is. Daddy bought it for me to train in before lockdown. He's bought me 6 new Leos, not including this one, for lockdown next week." I sounded a bit spoilt, but it's the truth.

"That's so cool! I love Nastia! I really want one of her Leos." Charlie said.

"I can give you a number of a company that stocks them later if you want; my mom has connections with them and can get you a discount if you like." Charlie was a nice enough girl.

"Oh my god, could you! You're a star, thanks Hales!" She squealed, leaning forward to hug me. I accepted the hug and let her know she was welcome.

"So, what are you all doing tonight?" Brooke asked. _Crap. _I promised Nathan we'd hang out tonight. Maybe I can just tell her he's tutoring me tonight?

"Luke's taking me out." Peyton smiled. She and Luke had been really working things out since their explosive arguments in the past.

"Lucky for some, eh?" Charlie laughed, elbowing Peyton in the side jokingly. "Chase is just so…unresponsive. I really like him, but I don't think he likes me that way."

Charlie was a bit younger than us, she was 15. She was just like us, except competing in the junior elite category. She'd be joining the senior elite category after her 16th birthday this year. She could only compete at national and international events as part of the junior national team, but was not eligible to try for the world team, and therefore couldn't try to earn a spot on the Olympic team just yet.

She wasn't banned from having a boyfriend just yet; Tom had given her until her 16th birthday for that. She'd been into Chase for just over 5 months, and they did suit each other. But she was too shy to say anything too him. We all felt for her, we were once like her.

Well, except Brooke.

"Aw, Char." I sighed, leaning forward to hug her. "You really like him don't you?"

"Yeah, I really do." She pouted. "Do you think he likes me back?"

"Of course he does! What's not to like? You're smart, gorgeous _and _talented. What's not to like?" I said, rubbing her arm. "C'mon, show me your floor routine. Get your mind of things."

We stood up and walked onto the floor mat after finishing up our stretching. I smiled at her as I pushed her into the corner of the mat jokingly. I stood to the side and watched her perform her floor routine seamlessly. As the music ended and she lay in the middle of the floor in her finishing pose, I smiled.

Charlie was really something, and she would do us all proud one day, even more so than she is now.

But that wasn't all, Nathan was smiling at me. It was nice to have him smile and not look away straight after for once. I hadn't seen him smile at me properly for weeks, and it made my heart falter if by a fraction. I gave him a cheeky wink before walking over to Charlie and pulling her up.

"Char, you're going to kill it against China next weekend! That was perfect!" I exclaimed, pulling the younger girl in for a hug.

"Thanks, Hales. But I could be better. I know I can. If I want to beat Genji, and all those other Chinese gymnasts; I've got to be perfect. No errors." Bless her, she was really hard on herself.

"Char, I'm serious. You're going to kill it. You're perfect, honestly. You can run it again if you like, but I'm telling you, your technique, your lines, your extensions, it's all perfect." I grinned.

"One more time; just so I can be certain you're right." She laughed before moving back into her previous starting position and beginning her routine over again.

After practice had ended a while later, I headed to the locker room with Brooke, Peyton and Charlie to get changed.

"We're so gonna kick some China ass next weekend." Brooke said.

"I hope so." Charlie responded. "I don't wanna convince myself that we will and then we don't, you know? But I don't want to be pessimistic, so I'm just working real hard and hoping it's enough."

"It's a good way to think about it." Peyton replied.

"As long as I beat Genji Cho at something next weekend, I'll be more than happy. I need the all-around gold if possible. The NGO need to see that I'm improving and that I'm not just a fluke." I stated as I grabbed my top from my bag, holding it under my chin as I replaced the top of my leotard with it. I grabbed my shorts from my bag and in a simple and quick movement had them on in the place of my leotard; which I folded up and put into my bag.

"Right, I'm off." Brooke said. "Catch you all later, girlies."

"I'm headed off too, bye guys." Peyton waved as she walked through the door with Brooke.

"See you later, Haley. Thanks for today, it meant a lot." Charlie smiled, giving me a hug, which I returned.

"Aw, Char. You're welcome. I mean it when I say I think you're one of the best girls at the gym, and if you weren't a year younger and competing for the junior elite at the moment, I'd be scared for my title." I laughed. "And hey, thanks for your help, too."

"I didn't do much, but you're welcome. Bye, Haley." She smiled as she walked out the door.

I was taking down my hair from the tightly pulled ponytail I had it in when I felt a pair of arms encircle my waist, making my heart skip another beat.

"Hi, baby." I whispered. "What are you doing here? You'll get caught."

"No, I won't. Everybody's gone. Come here you." He grabbed the tops of my arms and turned me around to face him. "I missed you today."

"I know, baby. I missed you too. But you know the rules. I'm not allowed a boyfriend. If we're caught together, I'm screwed." I sighed.

"Forget that, for now, okay? Just focus on how much you love me and want to kiss me right now." He smirked.

"Oh I do, do I? Maybe you can help me out with that." I whispered, moving closer to him.

"Hmm, maybe I can. Come here." He lifted my chin and pressed my lips to his, driving my heart wild. I'd completely forgotten our surroundings as he kissed me; he made me forget everything else on my mind but us in that moment.

I reached behind me to close up my locker so I could lean against it, before securing my hands behind his neck. I reached up to kiss him once again and smiled as he kissed me back.

I was completely lost in Nathan, and hadn't noticed the doorway opening slightly until I heard a voice that didn't belong to Nathan or me.

_"Busted." _

**Reviews?**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hey guys. :) Surprisingly, this week hasn't actually been that bad. Apart from some seriously crap exam paper for English on Friday. And the fact that I've had to resit my History end of year assessment because our teacher didn't do it right that lesson and our other teacher says she does it properly. Whatever. So basically, apart from crappy exams, things are good. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year here, 31 degrees where I live. NEARLY DIED. I'm burnt to a crisp and I look like a tomato. And then today, torrentional rain, thunder AND lightning. One bad thing I have to say though, my dance teacher told my group that we should've used some of the choeorography (I cant spell that word) that I was just messing around with in our routine, and I was like, um, no. It was just a bunch of random moves I put together! But nobody would listen to me anyway so yano. **

**Review replies:**

**naley12/Zara: Thanks sweet :) I rather like the sneaking around, too. :P Fun to write ;) Hahaha. Hope you enjoy this one :) x**

**KTxx/Katie/Katie Cat: First, I'm sorry for the name, I'm on a sugar rush (no idea why) and thought it would be fun. :D I am sorry for being evil. Shay (my beta/othfan1919) thinks I'm the queen of cliffhangers, hahaha. HAHAHAH, Rainbows are your thing then, eh? :') You're right, I don't watch it, so I'll just virtually nod my head and pretend I know what you're on about. But thanks for the idea, I can use pysco Charlie in a future chapter. Just kidding. :') And yes hahahaha Luke is a gymnast too. :P LOL I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING AT THAT IMAGE NOW. :') Awww, cool! :D I love gymnastics, I could seriously watch it all day, quite happily. But mens gymnastics is dry and boring:') Women's is better ;) Hahaha! Stupid sexy man, I like it. Love you too fellow babe of an Amy/Rory shipper XD xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Swimstar23 - thank you for adding me to your favourite authors and this to your favourite stories :)**

**hebewe - thanks for the author alert, favourite author and favourite story :)**

**Don't be afraid to review, I don't bite. :) **

**Chapter 22**

"_Busted" _Came a familiar voice from the doorway. Holy crap, this could not be happening right now. It couldn't be happening at all. All of the sneaking around was a breeze, but now this had stopped us in our tracks. _This could not be happening. This was not happening. _

_Crap. It's happening._

I let Nathan wrap his arms around me as we stared in the direction of the familiar voice, even though it was him that got us here. Kinda. Okay, so I played a part in the almost make out session we were having in the locker room of our gym, but he initiated it with that damn smirk of his. My head was protesting against letting him anywhere near me, but I loved him too much to let him go.

"I told you we'd get caught." I mumbled into his chest, trying to hide behind him, as if it would protect from the wrath I was about to face.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the door opened wider. I heard the footsteps walking further into the room and towards us, so decided to open my eyes and saw not one, or two. _Three pairs of eyes, all staring directly at me. _

_Holy crap._

_Brooke._

_Lucas._

_Peyton._

All three of them were now staring at us. I stepped out from behind Nathan, making myself clearer to them. They'd caught us nearly making out, I couldn't exactly tell them I still despised him and there was nothing going on. The truth was out in the worst possible way; and now I'd have to explain it to them.

I had to explain to my best friends why I couldn't tell them I was dating Nathan Scott. Why I'd been hiding it from them for months. Why I lied to them for months. Why they just caught me kissing my best friends sworn enemy. _This was not going to go down well._

"What's going on, Haley?" Lucas spoke up first.

I looked to Nathan in a moment of panic before intertwining our fingers and looking back to Lucas.

"Don't be mad at me, first, okay? I need to explain everything." I looked around and realised this probably wasn't the best place to do this. "Can we go somewhere else though? We're dead if Tom catches us here together."

"Sure…Where do you want to go?" He replied.

"Um…we can back to my place. My mom's taken my sisters shopping and my dad's taken my brothers fishing for the day. They won't be back for a while." I suggested.

"Whatever. You've got some serious explaining to do though." He said blankly.

"I know. Just please, hear me out, okay?" I sighed, pulling on Nathan's hand and leading him toward my car.

The drive home was quiet and slightly uncomfortable, but we knew someone would find out eventually. We just didn't want it to be like this. Lucas was already mad at me, the way he was talking proved that much. Brooke will probably just be disappointed that she missed a chance for gossip, and Peyton may be upset I didn't tell her.

We soon pulled up outside the house and sat on my porch swing while we waited for the others. They'd left a bit later than we had and could've been another few minutes, so I decided to say what needed to be said before they arrived.

"Nathan, listen to me. They're my best friends, and they're probably going to be upset I didn't tell them, even though we had good reason too. They might say some things about you or us that aren't the nicest, but ignore them, okay? If they can't be happy for me then maybe they're not who I thought they were.

"Whatever happens in there, I love you, okay? And that's all that matters. Me and you; nothing else matters. I promise you." I finished, looking up to him.

"Nothing is going to happen. They might be upset but like you said; if they can't be happy for you what sort of friends are they? I love you, too, and that's all that matters to me. I want to be with you, Haley. I don't want to have to hide it, but unfortunately that's how it is. But just know that I love you, no matter what." He replied, leaning down to capture my lips with his.

I returned the kiss and smiled thinking of the words he'd just said. He really did care about me, and I was glad. I pulled away before we went too far, and gave him a final quick peck as the others pulled into the driveway. I intertwined our fingers once again as I stood up and pulled him into the house, leaving the door open for the others to let themselves in.

I sat us down on the loveseat, waiting for the others to join us. I took a deep breath as I heard the front door shut and felt Nathan squeezing my hand as they sat down in front of us.

"Look, before you say anything, I just want you to know I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not telling you but we've barely had any time to figure things out for ourselves. We only just got back together, plus we couldn't tell you. You know that." I started, and looked to the four faces in front of me, none of them looking as if they were going to say anything.

"I guess I'll just tell you from the beginning then. You guys know Nathan's my tutor. I'm flunking algebra and he's acing it, so Tom assigned him to me. He's been tutoring me for about 6 months now. That's all it was at first."

"At first? So something obviously happened." Lucas said.

"Yes. About 3 weeks into tutoring, something changed. I'm not sure what, but he just seemed a different person. We went on a date, Brooke you set it up for us. But that kind of went wrong. We stopped talking for a few days. Then he was throwing rocks at my parents' window after practice one morning. But then he kissed me. And I kissed him back." I smiled up at Nathan, thinking of that first kiss between us. He smiled back before I continued with my story.

"We didn't want to hide it from you guys, but we had no choice. We've been dating ever since. But I kind of broke up with him after I didn't make the team for China. I said I needed time, so he gave me it and we only just got back together yesterday, I promise." I looked at the four faces in front of me, searching for any clues as to what they were thinking.

"Why hide it, though? From us, I mean. You know we wouldn't have said anything. It can only mean you're ashamed or don't trust us enough to believe we wouldn't tell." Lucas spoke up.

"Luke, neither of those things is true. I love Nathan to bits, and I'd never be ashamed to be with him. But you know why we can't tell anybody. If Tom ever found out we'd be kicked out. We can't risk that." I replied.

"So you don't trust us then?" He asked.

"Yes, of course I do. I was going to tell you. Come on guys, we've been best friends since we were 5 years old. We've been through everything together. Surely you know I wouldn't deliberately keep you in the dark about anything. Especially about something like this." I questioned.

"We thought we did, but now we're not so sure." Peyton spoke.

"You've changed, Haley. Ever since we came back from Nationals there's always been some secret. You never told us why you broke up with Ethan. You never told us what happened at that party. You didn't tell us about this. And you're not telling us why you broke up with Nathan. You say you don't keep secrets, but clearly, you do." Brooke stated.

"Guys, how could you think that?" I whispered, my voice becoming hoarse as the tears welled in my eyes.

"You didn't give us much of a choice. You're keeping things from us. I thought best friends were supposed to tell each other everything." Brooke spoke once again.

"Fine, do you want to know the truth?" I asked, more rhetorically than questioning.

"That would be nice." Lucas replied.

"Haley, you don't have to do this if you don't want too. You know that, don't you baby?" Nathan spoke softly in my ear.

"No, it's okay. I have to do this." I replied.

"We're waiting." Peyton spoke.

"Fine, I'll tell you everything and anything you want to know. The reason I broke up with Ethan is because of that party. He tried to rape me. He took me to his room, and at first, we were only making out. I didn't think he'd try anything. But apparently I thought wrong." I sniffed as the tears rolled down my cheeks. "I broke up with Nathan because I thought I saw him kissing Rachel. But he set me straight and told me she kissed him and he pushed her away, and I believe him."

"Haley, I'm sorry. I didn't have any idea." Brooke apologised first.

"I'm sorry, too." Peyton said.

"And me." Lucas spoke.

I let the tears keep falling as I listened to them apologise for forcing me to tell them and not believing I was going to tell them. I stood up after I listened to their apologies and headed to the stairs, climbing them and walking into my room. I shut the door behind me and lay on my bed, sobbing to myself at what had just happened.

"Now look what you did. Why can't you just be happy for us? You're supposed to be her best friends. Great friends you are." I heard Nathan say.

"Shut up, jackass. You've barely acknowledged her existence in 12 years. And now you're suddenly dating her? I think we have a right to be angry." Lucas argued back.

"No, man, listen to me. Haley wanted to tell you. She really did. But she couldn't. Neither of us could. We didn't want it getting out." Nathan replied.

"And you thought we were going to tell anyone?" Lucas questioned.

"No, man, you're not listening. She was afraid to tell you. Because she knew this would happen. Why can't you just be happy for her? For us?" Nathan retorted. "You know what there's no point arguing over this. You should understand our reasons for not telling you. You should be happy for us, because we're happy. I know you're hurt because we didn't tell you, but we had our reasons. So just think about in all of this how much you're hurting her, I'll be upstairs with Haley."

And with that, I heard him climb the stairs. I got up from my bed and opened my door as he came closer to it. I gave him a hug before ushering him inside and sitting opposite him.

"Are you alright, Hales?" He asked.

"I'm fine, honestly." I smiled through the now subsiding tears. "Thanks for saying all that down there. I'm glad you that you said that to them."

"Hey, I'm here for you, I'm in this for the long run."

"Me too, baby" I leaned into kiss him. We pulled back when we saw Brooke and Peyton standing in the doorway. "Do you want me to go?"

"No. Stay." I pleaded, keeping hold of his hand. "You guys can come in."

"We're sorry, Hales." Brooke started.

"We didn't mean for things to end up like this. We were just hurt that you didn't tell us the truth." Peyton continued.

"But why?" I asked. "You know full well I would've told you. We only got things back on track yesterday. I wouldn't have lied to you, you know that. Everything was just perfect between us again and we didn't want to spoil that. I'm not saying you would have told or messed things up, but we were kind of in our own little bubble. We hadn't really thought about what we were going to tell you. Or when. But we were. I promise."

"We understand. And we're sorry for everything. I can't believe we didn't pick up on something when you asked us to take you home that night." Brooke sighed.

"I'm with Brooke. I'm sorry for everything. Can you forgive us?" Peyton asked.

"You're my best friends. How could I not? Come here." I reached my arms out to them and gave them both hugs before gesturing for them to sit on my bed.

"So…" Brooke started.

"So what?" I asked.

"Is he a good kisser?" She winked.

"Brooke!" I laughed.

"What? I'm just curious. Seeing as our golden girl is getting it on with tutor boy, I have to make sure, as your best friend, that he's good enough for you." She laughed.

"I'm sitting right here" He declared.

As he said that I smiled and continued "Okay, fine. He's perfect. He's amazing. I'm totally in love with him and after the Olympics; we're going to be together properly." I grinned, thinking about our future plans.

"So you're going to college?" Peyton asked. "What about Worlds every year after the Olympics? They're in Rio in 2016."

"I'm not sure yet. I do want to go to college. I could probably still carry on with gymnastics, just maybe not on such a high scale until the Olympics. Like Nastia Liukin." I explained. "Nothing is certain yet. I'm still not sure what I want to do. But my mom and dad don't want me taking any sponsorship money because it'll cancel my scholarship eligibility."

"Smart move. But if you take the money, surely you'll have enough to pay for college?" Peyton asked.

"I'm not sure. But it depends on the sponsorships I'm offered." I replied.

We were chatting mindlessly for a while, before we noticed Lucas standing in the doorway. Lucas apologised for being an ass, for which I forgave him, gave him a hug and then ushered him into my room with the others. Lucas and Peyton had left after a while, and Brooke, well Brooke is Brooke. She just left.

Nathan and I were now lounging on my bed, whilst I absentmindedly played with our intertwined fingers. He sat upright with his arm around my shoulders, whilst my head lay on his chest. There wasn't much that really needed to be said, we were just enjoying the time we had together before my parents and siblings came home and we'd have to split up. We dreaded it each time, and I'm sure it would be so much easier for us to go to Nathans place, but moving would be too much effort for the moment.

It was nice to just spend time together, away from the gym, away from the drama and just be together. It was just peaceful and still, and so carefree. It was perfect. It felt like we were perfect. We were together perfectly, without the drama of gymnastics to get in the way for once. But we knew it would change as soon as the day ended, and tomorrow morning we'd have to go back to pretending there was nothing going on. _And definitely no more making out in the locker room._

I thought back to the conversation Brooke, Peyton and I had had about college and plans for after the Olympics earlier, and it kind of got me thinking.

_What were our plans?_

**Reviews?**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Right I'm updating now 'cause I was meant to be going shopping right now, I got out of bed and got dressed and everything, then my sisters supposed friend messed her around and lied to her so they're not going out, and now 'cause SHE'S upset, I can't go out. And I've been messed around and lied to so many times before, just like she just has, and that never stopped her and my mum going out. Talk about favouritism. Ugh. -_-**

**Oh and I upped the rating to a T for this chapter...you'll see why. When you see why, just know I DID NOT WRITE IT. I got Ashley to do it for me. :P Check her out, (ObsessivePrincess) and give her stories a review :)**

**Reviews:**

**KTxx/Katie: Hahaha, I apologise. I do feel guilty now. Oh dear that doesn't sound good, hahaha. It was boiling here on Monday, 30 degrees, and then on Tuesday, it CHUCKED it down. Then Wednesday, it got hot again! What is the English weather, seriously! I totally should, I know. I'll think it over. XD LOL. AHAHAHAHAHA, omg this next part of your review I was laughing for DAYS. You're hilarious. The absent for 21 chapters was kinda my bad, but whatever. :') HAHAHAHA, I know, writing swoon worthy Nathan is amazing. Awww, I like making your heart smile. :) Yes, RAINBOWS are cool. :) And you have to post it when you're done. :P LAAAAAAAAV YA TOO. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**naley12/Zara: Glad you liked it girly! :) xx**

**hebewe - thanks for all your alerts, please review! I'd love to know what you think! :)**

**Hope you both enjoy this one!**

**Chapter 23**

_What were our plans?_

I didn't actually know what Nathan had planned to do after the Olympics 2012. I know I wanted to go to college, after missing out on school my whole life; I wanted to know what the real world was like. I'd always dreamed of attending UCLA, they were known for their excellent record in NCAA championships, they had the most out of any NCAA school. Stanford was a close second and Southern California was in third.

UCLA was the dream; it always had been my dream school. But I didn't know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do now I was with Nathan. We'd tried the whole splitting up thing before, and it hadn't worked out well for us. I didn't want to be away from him; I didn't want to give up UCLA; and I didn't want him to give up whatever his dream school was. I sighed as I thought of the complications of the situation.

"What's wrong, babe?" Nathan asked, having heard my sigh. He stroked my arm lightly and I turned my head to look up at him.

"I'm just thinking about college." I replied. "I don't know what to do. I mean, we've still got over a year until the Olympics, but who's to say the NGO will even let me compete. They didn't let me go to China. But anyway, I just realised we probably have completely different plans."

"Well do you want to talk about it? College and our plans for after the Olympics, I mean? You my beautiful girl are definitely making the Olympics. And you're definitely going to win the gold against Genji and you're going to be the Olympic _and _World champion." He said, kissing my hair.

"Thank you. But I do want to talk about it." I sat up and turned around to face him. "I've always wanted to go to UCLA. It's my dream school. They have the most NCAA championships, and it's always been my plan to go to there. On NCAA scholarship hopefully, but I won't be eligible for one if I take any sponsorship or endorsement money. I really don't know what I want anymore."

"UCLA?" He asked.

"Um, yeah. I've always wanted to go there. Why?" I questioned.

"Nothing. I just thought you would've chosen somewhere like Stanford or Princeton. You're smart enough." He smiled. "But UCLA is a great school, too."

"Where did you plan on going?" I asked.

"Princeton, actually." He replied. "I just need to keep my grades up, which isn't too much of a problem for me, really. And hopefully I can get in on scholarship. There's no way I could afford the fees for that place."

"Oh. Um, cool." I said, feigning happiness. I didn't want to seem like the miserable, possessive girlfriend, but I really didn't want him to go. _I knew talking about college was a bad idea. _

"What is it, Hales?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Haley. What's wrong?" He squeezed my hand.

"Nothing." I sighed, once again. I saw his stare at me, questioning whether I was really trying to lie to him. I gave in. "Fine, but you asked for it. I'm just scared."

"What do you mean?"

"I…um…I just…Oh forget I ever said anything." I rambled, moving slightly, trying to get out. I felt Nathans grip on my hand pull me back and look me in the eyes.

"Haley, talk to me. Please. Don't shut me out." He spoke, stroking my cheek with his thumb softly.

"You really have to know, huh?"

"Of course I do."

_Ugh, why did I ever have to say anything? _

I loved Nathan with all my heart, I really did, but his ability to make me spill everything to him was highly annoying. But now I'd said something, he'd never let it go until I told him everything.

"Alright. I…um…I'm scared. Nathan you're so popular, you're smart, and you're so damn sexy. I can't imagine us being apart. We tried that before and look where we ended up. Everyone's going to want you at Princeton. All the girls are going to want you. And I don't…I don't know how to handle that, clearly. I'm not saying it's your fault or anything, but I'm scared. I don't want to lose you again, you're the best thing I have in my life and I love you so much. I'm scared that if you leave, you'll find someone better. That maybe you'll find someone who can be with you for real with no secrets." I spoke, tears welling in my eyes. _Damn it. Why did I have to be so in love with him? _

"Oh, Haley. Come here baby." He opened his arms and I let myself fall into them, crying into his shirt.

"I don't want to lose you." I sobbed. He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head, rubbed my back and lifted my chin to look at him.

"Haley, I can promise you this right now. You'll never lose me. Ever. I want to be with you no matter what. I don't care if we have to keep a secret, you're worth it. _We're _worth it. Secret or no secret, I'll love you forever, Haley. And nobody will ever compare to you, because you're one in a million. You're my always and my forever, and no matter what happens, I promise you I'll still love you." He finished, smiling at me. I smiled weakly back up at him.

"I love you, so much." I said, placing a kiss on his lips.

"I love you too, baby. And someday, after the Olympics, maybe after college, who knows, but someday, I promise you you're going to be Haley Scott." He smiled, returning the kiss. The boy knew exactly how to make me feel better.

"I like the sound of that." I smiled. "But we're dodging the issue again. What are we going to do about college?"

"Honestly, Haley, I don't know. All I know is that I want our relationship to work, and I want us to follow our dreams. If I tell you not to go to UCLA, I'm telling you not to follow your dream. And I don't want to do that. But if I tell you to go, I'm saying I don't want to be with you. And I do. I just don't know what to say. But for the time being, I think we should apply to both, and then see where we are when college comes around. Or the Olympics, or Worlds, whatever happens first." He said.

"Haley." Nathan turned to his side and looked right at me. "I've never felt about anyone else, the way that I feel about you." He stretched his hand out, and moved some stray hair from my face, his smooth skin tickling me. "And I know you might find it hard to believe, but I can describe every part of your beautiful self, without even looking at you. Doesn't that tell you how I feel?" I blinked and looked down. What was I supposed to say to that?

"I don't know how we can make it work." I felt a tear slip, splashing on my skin, as I studied the lines and folds on my palms.

"I do." Nathan curled his finger under my chin, raising my head until I looked at him. He saw the tears glistening in my eyes as he spoke softly. "We make it work, by loving each other." He said simply. "We'll still see each other." He promised. "Because, and I can tell you this right now, I'll be damned if I go more than a month without seeing you. I hate when I day goes by and I don't see you, but when we do see each other, it makes up for how sad I've been and I forget all about it." He explained to me. I just looked at him. That was exactly what I needed to hear right now.

Raising my body, I jumped in his lap, my hands slapping each cheek as I held onto his face. I pressed my lips down on his, pulling him as close as possible.

"I." I pulled away breathlessly. "I love you so much." I whispered, before kissing him again. "You always know." I spoke against his rough lips. "Exactly what to say." I could feel the heat between us, as I pushed him backwards.

We were now lay on my bed, our lips fused together, as our tongues dueled in battle. I could feel his hands, gripping my bed clothes. I decided now was the time. I had to make him know it was okay to touch me, to love me.

I pressed my hands on top of his, and moved them along his arms. As I reached his elbow, he bent his hands upwards, moving them along my own arms, until he reached my shoulder. He ran his calloused hands along my sides, before resting one on my spine, and the other still travelling.

As for me, I wanted a bit of everything. I felt his biceps, and his broad shoulders. His shirt clad chest beating fast below me. I moved my hands back up, around his neck, as she rolled over.

"We have." Nathan spoke through our kisses. "To stop." I pulled away a little, barely an inch, to look in his eyes. I bit my lip, to stop my smirk approaching.

"I'm sorry baby." I told him, half laughing. "I didn't mean to get carried away." I giggled, as he remained hovering over me.

"Don't be." He told me with a cocky grin. "I enjoyed it too."

I sat up and rested my head on his chest as I had done previously, as he wrapped his arms around me dropping feather light kisses on the top of my head every so often. I looked at the time and realised my parents would be back soon. I sighed as I realised this, and again, it didn't go unnoticed by Nathan.

"What's wrong, babe?" He asked me, dropping another kiss on my head.

"Nothing much. But you have to leave. My parents said they'd be back with my siblings around 7. It's 6:50." I sighed. "I don't want you to go."

Truth be told, I never wanted Nathan to leave. I hated the whole sneaking around thing, but we couldn't risk anyone else finding out. It was sure to leave us in a lot of trouble. Trouble that could get us kicked out of the gym, and that couldn't happen. But there had to be _some _way we could be together, at least until after the Olympics.

"I don't want to go, but you know I have to. Your dad would kill me if he ever found out anything. And so would your brothers." He laughed slightly. "Especially if they found me in your bedroom; on your bed, with you."

"Mm, they wouldn't. Not if I told them I got you in bed in the first place. And it's not even like we actually slept together. We were just making out. And touching." I laughed as I curled up closer to him. "Don't go." I pouted.

"You know I don't want too. But I don't think I can deal with your brothers and your dad just yet. But I promise you'll see me tomorrow. We can go to my place, my parents are never home. Plus I think they're both out of town anyway. No older sisters or brothers to worry about, either. We're free to make out all we want." He winked at me, with a cheeky smirk on his face.

I sat up and laughed at his comments, before placing a kiss on his lips and wrapping my arms around him. "See you tomorrow, baby. I love you." I whispered against his lips, pressing mine to his a final time.

He pecked my lips in return a few times before giving me a final lasting kiss, and hugging me back and kissing my forehead. "Bye, beautiful. I love you, too." He smiled, and with that, he walked out the door, leaving me breathless, as he often did these days.

**Review worthy?**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I've actually run out of things in my life to complain about, hahahaha. Believe it or not, nothing has gone drastically wrong recently. My best friend is just the most amazing girl in the world and although we don't always talk, and I only sit with her in one lesson a week, we have such a laugh. Our table in science is just the best, and it's kind of become a piss about lesson for us and the three boys sitting on our table. I just love her to bits, hahaha. :)**

**I rather like this chapter, I think it's one of my best written ones. Don't kill me for the end...**

**Also, I had more reviews on the last chapter than I've been getting recently, so thanks for that guys! :D Keep reviewing, I'll send you a preview if you like. :) **

**ALSO, SHANTEL JUST JOINED TWITTER. OMG. TheRealShantel - FOLLOW IT! OMG :D :D :D :D :D**

**Review replies -**

**naley12/Zara: Glad you liked it :) Was sitting researching NCAA scholarships for HOURS for that one chapter. :| I felt bad writing him leaving, but you know, that's the story, hahaha. Hope you like the next one! :)**

**KTxx/Katie: THANK YOU BABE. :D You've gotta love this fic if you paused your P&R marathon for it, :O THANKS. :D Hahahahah! I was out shopping when I got your review, made me smile in the middle of Boots while I was reading a magazine for a bit about Max and Michelle being engaged, and some guy asked me if I was in the queue. Oops, LOL. I'm always inside in nice weather. HAHAHAH, omg you and rainbows:') Instead of Katie Cat, I'm gonna start calling you Katie Rainbow. HAHAHAHA, sounds like a hippe name, hahahaha:') anywhooooo...I LIKE THAT LINE TOO. :D And my bad..I didn't realise I was doing it, hahaha. I love it when they say I love you, it's mega cheesy and adorable. :D ENJOY THIS ONE. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Libby: You haven't reviewed in ages, I thought you'd got sick of my fic and just not read it anymore, lol. Thanks for your opinion, I do try but with writing in Haley's POV it's kinda hard to write anything but Naley:') And I wasn't quite sure what you meant about Peyton failing in the National team? She was picked to go to China and Brooke/Haley weren't? Sorry I'm so far ahead in my writing I forget what I've written. Anywho, sorry if you don't like it. I try, but if you don't like it, there isn't much I can do. Hope you like this one all the same.**

**pam211: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like it, your review really made me smile. :) I'm glad you like the NH, there's still a lot of it to come. :) I forgot to send you a preview this time but if you want one, just say so in your review and I'll send it over :) x**

**Enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Chapter 24**

A few days later, and lockdown wasn't too far away. Today was Friday, and tomorrow we'd be training for the final time before lockdown, and then heading to Brookes for her sleepover. Tonight I had one final night with Nathan before I'd be cut off from him for over a week. Lockdown was serious. No family; no friends; no life outside of the gym. We'd have no idea what was going on in the outside world until we re-joined it after the meet against China next Saturday.

We weren't even allowed to bring our phones. Tom had claimed them as a 'distraction to the goal', and would ban any phone he saw. I hated the thought of having no contact with Nathan for over a week, one day apart for us was like a lifetime. I wasn't too concerned about no contact with anyone else, I loved my family but a week away from a house full of them would do me some good. Plus Brooke, Peyton and Charlie would be there with me every night, training all day, eating meals, and going straight to bed.

The Chinese national team lived like this practically their entire lives. They were ripped from their homes at a young age, locked away in a camp and they would eat, sleep and breathe gymnastics until they became a perfectly calibrated machine. And that's what the Chinese team were. They were all machines, the lot of them.

Before practice, I'd managed to see Nathan. He asked me to stay over tonight, and considering it would be our final night together before lockdown, I agreed. My parents were yet to find out about us, and I'd have to come up with some kind of excuse as to my absence for the night. I could probably tell them I was staying at Brooke's; it wasn't like they'd check. If I told them I was going somewhere, they just told me to be safe and be back on time. So now I'd just have to get Brooke to cover for me; just in case they did ask her.

After practice, I caught up with Brooke in the locker room.

"Hey, Brooke." I said, walking over to her.

"Hey, what's up?" She replied.

"Listen, I don't want to seem like a bad friend for asking you this, but could you do something for me tonight?" I asked, anxiously waiting her response.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Basically, this is the last night I can be with Nathan until after the meet next week. I'm at yours tomorrow and being locked in a house full of my family on Sunday before lockdown starts." I started, noticing the grin on Brookes face only grow wider. "Hey, quit it. It's nothing like that. He asked me if I could stay at his place tonight, you know, like; spend time together before we're locked away from each other. And I kind of told my parents I was staying at yours because there's no way in hell they'd agree to letting me stay at Nathans. They don't even know we're together."

"So you want me to cover for you?" She asked.

"Would you? I'm sorry to just dump this on you but I just want to spend one night with Nathan with no interruptions. Please, Brooke." I pleaded.

"Of course I will! Anything for your little love affair." She giggled, winking at me.

I slapped her arm lightly and laughed before pulling her into a hug. "Thanks, Brooke. You're the best. I totally owe you." I squealed, hugging her tightly.

"Alright, you can let go now, you're kind of squashing me." _Oops. _"Anyway, I don't want anything in return; except all the gossip tomorrow night at my sleepover."

"You'll be the first to know, promise." I smiled, walking out of the locker room and towards my car, following Nathan back to his house. As the car park was still busy when we were leaving, we couldn't risk being seen together, so we just got in and drove to his house. Nobody had to know where I really was.

We pulled into his oversized driveway within minutes of leaving the gym, which felt far too long to be apart for us. We both parked our cars and stepped out of them, walking towards each other. His driveway was pretty much secluded, so once I reached him I gave him a quick peck on the lips, grabbed his hand, entwining our fingers, and dragged him towards the door.

"Why so eager?" He laughed, fishing out his keys.

"I'm spending a whole night away from everything, and just spending one night with my talented, smart, amazing and sexy boyfriend. No interruptions. No gymnastics. No parents, no siblings, no friends. Just us. Doesn't it sound perfect?" I smiled.

"Of course it does. Any night with you my beautiful girl is perfect in itself." He replied, as he opened the door, letting me go through first.

"I'd forgotten how big your house was. Mine looks like a dump compared to yours." I laughed.

"Nah, I prefer your house."

"Really, why?" _Why would anyone prefer my house to this?_

"It has that homey feeling about it, if you know what I mean. Like, you might hate it but all the pictures on the walls of you and your brothers and sisters when you were younger are adorable and make the place feel really comfortable and homey. Mine is just a house. I never had any good memories to fill it with. Well, until I started dating you that is. Now we can just make our own memories." He grinned.

I leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips, before leading him into the living room and pulling him down next to me on the sofa. He instantly wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. We weren't doing anything, but the contentment of being together was enough to fulfil the silence. It was times like these I adored, times where we could just be together. We could be together away from the gym, from older brothers and sisters, from parents, from everyone and everything. It was just us against the world.

We sat like that for a few hours, conversation drifting in and out occasionally. It was now 7pm, and we'd ordered a pizza a few minutes ago for dinner. We heard the doorbell go and Nathan got up to get it assuming it would be the pizza. He paid the young teenage boy for the pizza, closed the door then came through to me in the living room. We put the pizza box between us and sat Indian style facing each other, talking when we weren't eating.

"Ready for lockdown this week babe?" He asked me once we'd finished eating.

"Mm…I suppose so. I'm not sure really. I mean how can you know if you're ready to be locked away from society for a week? But yeah, I suppose I'm ready. I've got to be. I'm going to miss you, though." I pouted.

"It's only a week, you'll survive." He laughed.

"No I won't. A week is like, a lifetime in my world. Especially without you. I won't be able to see you until after competition."

"Aw, my poor baby. Come here and I'll help give you enough for a week." I moved over to sit in his lap, my legs either side of his waist. He kissed me lightly at first before deepening the kiss and running his fingers through my hair. I pushed him backwards so he was lying on the floor and I was hovering on top of him, kissing him. I'd changed before I came over here, so I was wearing a black skirt and a pink top to go with it. I moved one of his hands under my top, so he could touch me.

We'd been doing this a lot over the past few days, and it was become a formality for us. I'd snuck out nearly every day this week to see Nathan, and thankfully nobody had caught on to anything. We could have ended up in some serious trouble if somebody was to catch us together. Especially if they knew what we were doing together.

But now, something felt different. I didn't quite know what, but it was definitely something. And it kind of felt _right _to let him do all these things to me. Usually, I'd stop us by now and tell him how sorry I was we had to hide our relationship and slow it down for my career, but tonight, _I didn't. _

I didn't know why, all I knew is that I didn't stop him doing things that I probably should've stopped. But I didn't want too. I wanted him to carry on. I wanted to carry on. I just wanted us, together, properly, just for one night. For just one night, I wanted us to be a normal teenage couple. And maybe it was wrong of me to want that, but I've never experienced normality in my life. I've been home schooled since I was five years old. I never had any real friends outside the gym, I never fell in love and had my heart broken, (well, maybe once), and I'd never attended a real school.

And I sacrificed all of this at the age of five, for my career. Five years old and my future, my career, were decided. Ten years old and I went elite. I was training 10 hours a day at just ten years old. And I just wanted all of that to not be true. Just for one night, I wanted to be a normal 17 year old girl, who was _so _in love with her boyfriend she could picture their children; for one night I wanted everything to disappear; for one night I didn't want to worry about getting a gold medal; for one night, I just wanted to be _normal._

And maybe that's what I was doing. Letting myself be normal. Letting Nathan and I have one normal night together before we're thrown back into the real world. It had to be that, else I wouldn't know what it was. But the way he kissed me sent my heart into over drive, and the way he touched me made me want him and I to be together, even more so than we were at that moment.

Nathan had pulled away for a moment, so I decided to speak up.

"Nathan, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"Would you say I was crazy if I said I didn't want you to stop what you were doing just then?"

"No. I'd probably say that I didn't want to stop what I was doing. Or what you were doing. Whatever we were doing, I didn't want it to stop. Does that make me crazy?"

"No. At least, I don't think so." _But, with the things I was thinking, who was to say I wasn't crazy?_

"So you do you want to? Carry on making out I mean." He smirked.

I didn't answer. Instead I pushed him back down and attached my lips to his in a heated moment. Our lips fused together, as our tongues battled for domination of the kiss. I opened my mouth slightly, allowing his tongue to run along my bottom lip. I moaned lightly into his mouth as he kissed me, enjoying everything he was doing.

I moved my hands to the bottom of his shirt and within in an instant it was off. I kissed his bare chest and worked my way up to his lips. As I grazed them with my own very lightly, I heard him speak up. He knew where I was taking this.

"Haley, baby, are you sure you want this? I don't want you to regret it in the morning or something." He asked, looking deep into my eyes.

"I've never been so sure of anything. I want you, Nathan. And I want us to be together, properly, just for one night where we can just be normal." I replied, staring straight back into his eyes.

He placed his lips back over mine softly, before standing, and pulling me up with him. He entwined our fingers and lead me to his room. We lay down on his bed, just facing each other and smiling.

"You're 100% sure about this, yeah?" Nathan asked once more.

"I'm 101% sure. Stop worrying, I promise I want too." I laughed, before moving closer to him and placing light kisses on his bare chest again.

As I moved up to his lips, he kissed me back with a furious passion. He kissed me in such a way that it felt as if the stars would fall. His soft lips fit perfectly against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, staring deep into his eyes as I kissed him. His hands found my hips and as he summoned me closer to him, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. I moved his hands to the bottom of my top, and he gave me a final questioning look asking if I was sure. I nodded in response and let him pull it over my head.

He kissed me with a passion that set my world alight several times, before kissing his way from my stomach to my lips. I smiled as he reached my lips once more and kissed him back. Everything that was happening felt like magic. Everything he did only made me want him more, and after what seemed like hours of the want and the desire only intensifying within us both, we did it.

We made love for the first time, and for once, it didn't feel like I had to stop things from going too far. We could be normal for a night, and act like normal teenagers, who are head over heels for each other. And normality felt good. I didn't know why, I'd been trained since I was five years old not to know what normal was or is, and now 12 years later, I'm 17 and I just had my first taste of normality.

We made sure to use protection, as much as normality felt great, I couldn't run the risk of getting pregnant. It would end my career almost instantly.

A few hours later, and we were still lying in Nathans bed. We'd put underwear back on, but that was it. We were happy to just talk and cuddle for a while; to be romantic and sweet with each other without doing anything.

We were lying face to face with each other, staring into each other's eyes, and Nathan occasionally stroking my hair as we came closer. Every so often he dropped feather light kisses on the top of my head, and I smiled and returned the kiss to his lips softly.

"I love you, you know that?" I smiled.

"Yeah, I kinda did. Maybe because you told me about a million times while you were screaming my name." He laughed, earning a light smack on the chest.

"Seriously, though. You're perfect. You did everything right for me. And someday we'll be able to do it without worrying about people finding out or getting pregnant. We'll have our own family. Maybe during college or just after, we'll have our own place, and we'll be done or nearly done with gymnastics on a higher scale, and we'll have our own little family." I grinned at the thought of our future together.

"That sounds perfect." He whispered onto my lips, before placing a light kiss on them. "And we'll get married, too. You'll be Mrs Haley Scott, and we'll be having our own children in our own place. We'll have a little girl, and she'll be just like you. Your eyes, your hair, your smile, she'll be the spit of you. My heart will break every time I look at her because she reminds me so much of you."

I leaned up and placed a light kiss on his lips when he'd finished talking. Everything sounded perfect, and although we were only 17, we practically had our whole life together planned out. And every single part of it sounded perfect.

"Now that's perfect. I can't wait to have it all with you." I smiled. "And I'm definitely looking forward to being Mrs Scott. Can you imagine the look on Rachel's face when she finds out?" I laughed, thinking of the reaction we'd get.

I yawned as I finished, and moved closer to Nathan.

"Tired, baby?" He whispered into my hair.

"Mm." I mumbled in reply, my eyes becoming heavy.

"Sleep then, my gorgeous girl. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise." He replied, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

"Goodnight, Nathan. I love you, don't ever forget that." I mumbled, falling asleep faster than I expected.

"Sweet dreams, my angel. I love you too, baby. I won't ever forget, I promise." That was all I heard before the world faded to black and sleep washed over my body.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Hey guys :) I'm terrible for updating when I'm writing Chapter 38 right now but whateverrr. I'm updating for my awesomest girly, Katie Rainbow. :D She loves me really. She's going away tomorrow [:(] so I'm updating for her. :D Love you beb. :) You're probably sick of hearing me complain about my life, and nothing major is actually happening (for once) so no complaints this week. **

**Review replies:**

**KTxx/Katie: Thank you beb! :) I'm happy just to get a review even if it's not that long. I love writing Baley, haha. They're so cute :) Love you like a rainbow ;) xxxxxxxxxx**

**Libby: Thanks for your review. I know before you've said I take criticism better than some others, but this one just brought me down. I apologise if you don't like it, I'm glad you think it's good, but I can't act like your review didn't upset me. I can usually handle it, but I'll admit I did cry over this review. I'm sorry for the lack of diversity, I didn't think it was a problem. There isn't as much Naley in this chapter, so I hope you like this one. If you don't, well that's up to you. I'm sorry that you don't like it, but I can't change it. I write through Haley's POV because it's easier for me, and I feel like I can convey more through her POV than I can in neutral. Anyway, I hope you like this. :/**

**Don't mean to whine, but I feel like I'm dragging this out when noones interested.**

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 25**

_*A week later, the final rotation of the meet against China*_

We were about to compete in the final rotation of the day. During the first rotation, I medaled silver on floor, and Brooke managed bronze on vault. In the second and final rotation, we already had Brooke's silver medal on bars, and Peyton's silver medal on beam. She had the gold before Genji Cho had competed and knocked her out of the top spot. Now, it was down to me to earn the last medal of the day on beam.

I was good at competing on beam, but I didn't know if I was good enough to break the top three. So now, whilst I was standing by the beam waiting to start, Tom began to give me the pep talk I needed.

"Listen, Haley. I want you to add a triple twist dismount to your routine. I've seen you working on it during lockdown this week and I know you can do it." Was he mad? I'd never perfected the triple twist once this week. Why would I be able to do it under pressure?

"Why? We have the four medals, if I just do my routine clean, we could probably get our five." I replied.

"And that would be wonderful, for the team. But I'm talking about you, Haley. I'm talking about you going for the gold, right now."

I took a quick look at the score board, and to get the gold I'd need to beat Genji Cho's 16.775. "Do you think I can beat that?" I asked.

"Yes. Prove yourself. Right here, right now." He said sternly.

"But if I don't land it, I might not medal at all, and we won't beat the national team." I replied.

"But if you do, you are clearly the best gymnast in America. And you rival the very best in the world." He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You can do this. I believe in you."

I nodded in response as he walked away. I stood closer to the beam and raised my arms to give the starting position.

I placed my hands on the beam and started with a handstand mount, requiring a lot of upper arm strength to keep me up right. I turned to the side and placed one foot after the other onto the beam. I raised my arms and brought them down again before executing the splits in the air and turning while doing so to land facing one end of the beam. I walked forward slightly and stopped with a pose for a moment, before jumping in the air with my back leg bent and behind my body. My other leg was diagonally straight whilst I was in the air. I came down quickly, executing the landing perfectly.

I then went into a back handspring, followed by two back layouts. I stood on the end of the beam for a moment before launching into my triple twist dismount. I flew through the air and as I came down to land, I made sure I knew where to land.

_I managed to stick the landing. _I did it. With barely any training on the triple twist, I executed it perfectly and landed without moving. I'd never done it perfect in practice, and in a pressured situation, I pulled it off. Tom was right, I could do this.

I ended the landing with my arms raised above my head as I did at the start to signify the landing and the routine had ended. I grinned hugely as I walked back over to the bench where we were sitting, to greet my teammates and my coach. I embraced Brooke, Peyton and Charlie in turn, before smiling at Rebecca, Sara, and Melissa. We all awaited the final score to be tabulated nervously as we watched the score board.

After what seemed an agonizingly long wait, the score board changed. The final scores had been counted. I watched as my name flew to the top of the score board, and the box around the scores signified the final standings. I'd done it. I beat Genji Cho. And I got the gold on beam. Beam, of all events! But I did it.

The entire team jumped up as the final scores appeared and screaming and smiles echoed throughout the gym. The look on Rachel's face as she realized we'd gained more medals than the national team, and specifically that I'd won gold on beam, was priceless. I was the first gymnast the beat Genji Cho for gold. I couldn't believe it. My title as National champion meant something. I was the best gymnast in America.

We were quickly surrounded by press hounding us with questions and compliments on our wins.

"What a great job defending your title today, Haley." One reporter said.

"I'm no longer defending it." I smiled. "I'm letting it speak for itself."

We all embraced each other in a group hug, smiling and laughing as we did so. We were proud of victory against the Chinese, even if we lost out to them by two medals; we proved what we set out to prove. The NGO took the wrong girls to Beijing.

After we had dealt with the press, Tom suggested that we'd done enough for a while, and we all headed to Karen's café where a party had been set up for us all to celebrate our wins.

I walked over to a table where Peyton was sitting with her leg on the table, as she'd injured her ankle when she dismounted from beam. I sat down next to her and squeezed her hand as she smiled.

"How's your ankle?" I asked looking at the ice pack she had wrapped around it.

"How's your gold medal on beam?" She replied, before quickly starting again. "Wait, I'm sorry. I never thought you'd beat me on beam, Haley, but you did. I have to admit you were amazing."

"Thanks." I replied, giving her a smile.

"I guess there's a new queen of the beam in town, huh?" She laughed.

"Nah that was just a fluke, I'm still working hardest on floor. That's my strong point. You're still queen of the beam." I giggled, reaching forward to hug her. "I'm going to go find Brooke, alright? I'll catch you later."

I got up and walked over to the corner where Brooke was sitting, talking to Julian.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" I asked, looking between the two.

"No, it's fine." Brooke replied, looking to Julian. "We'll talk later, okay?" He nodded as he walked away.

"What's going on with you two?" I laughed, sitting down next to her.

"Nothing…yet. He seemed shy and I decided to ask him on a date seeing as he's too shy to ask me." She smiled.

"Sorry. Was I interrupting?" I asked, feeling slightly guilty.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll just catch up with him later. Speaking of boys," She started, looking in Nathans direction. "Have you spoken to lover boy since lockdown started?"

"Not yet." I answered, giving him a quick smile. "Haven't had the chance. I wanted to talk to my best friends first." I smiled, pulling Brooke into a hug. "You did a great job designing these Leos, by the way." I complimented.

Brooke had designed the leotards we were wearing for this invitational, and she sent her designs to the country's best leotard manufacturers and had them especially made for us all. They were red, blue and white. The blue was on the bottom, met by white curls and waves in the middle with red on the top. The pattern continued on the back. She even got us matching warm ups with 'Hillview Gymnastics' written on the back of each jacket.

"Thank you! I quite like them, if I do say so myself." She laughed.

"They're great, Brooke. Who knew you were such an artist huh?" I laughed in response.

"Who knew, huh?" We continued laughing for a few seconds, before Brooke followed my gaze and noticed I was staring at Nathan. "Oh fine, go! But I want to know –"

"You want to know everything. I got it Tigger, you tell me every time." I laughed and hugged her before I got up. "I'll catch you later; I've got some catching up to do." I winked and giggled as I walked away, towards Nathan. I looked around to make sure nobody was looking before I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the back room of the café. I made sure nobody was around before I locked the door and pushed him against it, attacking his lips with my own.

"I. Missed. You." I whispered onto his lips, between kisses. We both pulled away for a moment when air became an issue.

"I missed you, too, babe. How was lockdown?" He asked.

"Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Just a week full of Brooke talking nonstop overnight, and eating, sleeping and breathing gymnastics. Nothing out of the ordinary." I laughed.

"Did you tell her? Brooke, I mean." We both knew what he was referring too.

"No, I didn't want her to find out. She'll just tease me for life. Or she'll probably tell Peyt and Char and as much as I love them, I can't risk them finding out. Plus I don't see how it's anything to do with them. Just between us." I replied, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Okay. I'm happy keeping it between us if that's what you want. But you know if I could, I'd shout it from the rooftops. That we're together and in love, I mean. Not the sex part. That's our business." He laughed as I laughed with him.

"I know. I would too, if we could. But after the Olympics, when we go to college, we'll be together properly. I promise." I placed another kiss on his lips, before looking up at him.

"I like the sound of that." He smiled, kissing me back. "Now come on miss gold medalist, we'd better get you back out there. People are going to wonder where you are."

"In a minute. I haven't seen you all week. Just kiss me for a bit longer." I said, leaning up to press our lips together again.

"Sounds good to me. But you really do have to get back out there soon." He laughed, kissing me back.

Soon enough, our innocent little kisses that we'd missed throughout the week turned into an intense make out session. Nathans shirt came off at one point, and my warm ups came off. I was still wearing my leotard underneath so nothing else could come off, but I guess you could say we'd gotten carried away. God only knew how long we'd been in there. I placed a final light kiss on his lips before pulling away.

"I think we should go." I laughed. "People are going to be seriously suspicious by now. And I think we got a bit carried away, too." I nodded to the discarded shirt and warm ups.

"Alright, obviously we can't leave together, so I'll go first and you can leave a few minutes after, that okay?" He asked.

"Yep. I'll see you later." I said, placing a final kiss on his lips.

"Definitely. Are you staying tonight?" He questioned, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Sorry, baby. I can't." I shook my head. "Quinn's boyfriend is in town. We're having a family dinner tonight. I'd love to invite you but you don't want to be part of my family dinners." I laughed. "But seriously, you know why. Only Quinn knows about us."

"It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow, though?" He asked.

"Of course. I'll text you tonight and I'll see if I can sneak a phone call, too. It depends on who's staying and whose going." I replied.

"Alright. Text you later, beautiful. I love you, baby." He grinned, giving me a final kiss.

I returned the kiss and reluctantly pulled away. "I love you, too, handsome." I grinned. "Bye."

Later that night, I was sitting in my bed on my laptop, finishing up an assignment for my tutor, when my phone buzzed.

_1 new message – Nathan_

_Can you talk? Miss you already. Xx_

I smiled at the message, before quickly pressing the reply button.

_I'll be on Skype in a few. Just need to finish this assignment. Xx_

Within seconds, the next message came through.

_That's my girl. Talk to you soon. Xx _

I smiled at the message, before exiting the message screen and putting my phone on the bedside table next to me. About 10 minutes later, I'd finally finished the assignment, so I clicked save before closing the document and signing into Skype. I searched my contacts before clicking Nathans name.

_You have invited Nathan Scott to a video call _appeared on my screen as I made sure that nobody was around to hear us. I locked my door and went to sit back at my laptop as I saw that Nathan had accepted the invitation. Our faces soon appeared on screen as the sound kicked in.

"Hi, baby." I spoke first. I noticed his surroundings, and realized he was in his room. We should be okay for privacy.

"Hey, beautiful." He replied. "You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I miss you, though." I pouted.

"Aw, my poor baby. I miss you, too. But I'll see you tomorrow, and it's your day off. So you can spend the whole day with me, if you like."

"Of course, I'd love too. There's nowhere else I'd rather be, you know that."

"I know. So what are you up to?"

"Not a lot. I just finished my assignment for home school. I managed to get through the family dinner earlier. I was ready to just slap Taylor; she was really winding me up. Quinn and Viv kept telling her to stop, but when does Taylor listen to anyone?" I sighed. "What about you? Doing anything interesting besides missing me?" I laughed.

"No offence, but Taylor sounds like a bitch. And nope, not really. Thinking about you. Talking to you. That's about it." He replied.

"Taylor is a bitch, and no offence taken."

"What did she do?"

"She kept mentioning how I was the only one of all my brothers and sisters who was still a virgin." I looked down as I said the last part. "What she doesn't know, eh?"

"Aw, baby. I wish you could tell them, I really do. But it's for your career and my safety that we're keeping it a secret." He laughed. "But for what it's worth, I don't think you should let Taylor get to you. You know the truth and I know the truth, and that's all that matters, right?"

"Right."

"So then don't let her get to you, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Nathan. You always know exactly what to say."

"I know."

"Good."

"So what do you want to do tomorrow? Your call." He asked.

"Um…I don't know. We could watch a few movies, some trashy TV, make out a lot." I smirked.

"I like the sound of that last one." He laughed.

"You would." I laughed with him.

I heard a knock on my door as we were talking, and told Nathan to keep quiet for a minute. I asked who it was and when Quinn replied, I got up to open the door for her.

"No offence, Quinn, but what is it you want?" I asked as we sat back on my bed.

"Can't I talk to my little sis anymore?" She countered back.

"Well…yeah. But not now." I said.

"Oh I see. You're talking to Nathan. Hi Nathan." She spoke, moving to sit next to me.

"Hey, Quinn." He replied out of formality.

"You're taking good care of my little sister, aren't you?" She asked.

"Quinn!" I exclaimed. "Ignore her, Nathan."

"Nah, it's alright. I get it; she's looking out for you because nobody else will. I promise I'm looking after her, Quinn. She's perfect. I love her to pieces, and someday I want us to get married." He spoke.

I blushed at his words.

"Aw, look, Hales has gone red. Thanks for the reassurance, Nathan. But I need to talk to my little sis. She'll talk to you later, no doubt. Bye, Nathan." She passed the laptop back to me.

"Sorry about that." I gave Quinn a look. "But I guess I'm leaving. I'll text you later or something."

"Alright. Bye, angel. I love you more than anything." He smiled.

"Bye, babe. I love you, too." I grinned back, before signing out and closing my laptop.

"Aw, you two are so cute!" Quinn exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me.

"Thanks, I guess." I laughed as she pulled away. "Quinn…can I tell you something?" I moved so I was facing her, sitting Indian style.

"Um, sure, I guess. What is it?" She replied.

"Promise you won't be mad. And you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Clay." I pleaded.

"Um…alright. What is it, Hales? You're freaking me out a little." She replied.

I took a deep breath as I looked straight at her. "I had sex with Nathan." I looked down as I waited for her reaction.

"Haley! Are you serious?" She exclaimed.

"Dead serious. Why would I say something like that if it wasn't true?" I nodded as I looked over at her, a shocked expression drawn on her face.

"When? Why? How? What happened, Haley?" Now she just looked disappointed.

"You know that night I told mom and dad I was at Brooke's last week, that night before her sleepover?"

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't at Brooke's. She covered for me, but I knew mom and dad wouldn't ask if I told them I was at Brooke's. We just wanted one night together. I didn't mean for anything to happen, but I just wanted us to be normal for a night. You know, just like every other couple our age. And mom and dad would've never let me stay at Nathans. They don't even know we're together. It just kind of happened and it felt right." I explained, tearing up.

"Just kind of happened! Haley, are you serious? What if you got pregnant? Your career would be over in the blink of an eye. I can't believe you'd be so irresponsible." She sighed, as the tears fell freely down my face.

"Quinn, stop, please. You don't understand. You were always normal, you could do whatever you want any time, I couldn't!" I cried. "I've had my future set out for me since I was five years old. I didn't have the chance to be normal. I never got to make friends outside of the gym. I never went to a normal school. I didn't even get to go to high school. I was never able to go to a school dance, or prom. You were able to do all that while I wasn't. I'm sneaking around with my boyfriend behind everyone's backs because I'm not supposed to have a boyfriend. I'm not supposed to want boys. I'm supposed to want gold medals. And believe me, I want that, I do, but I love Nathan. And he loves me. And we just wanted to be normal, for one night in our entire lives, we wanted to be normal. Is that really such a crime?" I sobbed.

"Oh, Haley, come here." She reached out her arms and wrapped them around me as I cried into her. "I'm sorry for getting mad. I see where you're coming from, and you're right, I don't understand. Because I've had all those experiences and you haven't. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. But you have to know I got mad because it's your future we're talking about it. I just want you to have your dream."

"I know. And I have my dream, both of them. If I do well at Worlds trials in a few weeks then I'll make the Worlds team and be on the right track to the Olympics. But Nathans my dream, too. We have our lives planned out together. And we both want that. And after Worlds or the Olympics, we can be together properly. But for now we have to hide it. Please don't tell anyone Quinn." I looked up at her, wiping my eyes as she looked back at me.

"I won't tell anyone, promise. But you've got to realize it was stupid. You used protection right?" She asked as I nodded in response. "Good. Don't do it again, okay? You never know what could happen."

"I won't." I promised, as she cuddled me tighter.

"Good. That's all I needed to hear. Now tell me all about him." She laughed as I sat up and looked at her.

"You're just as bad as Brooke." I giggled, as I reached out to hit her playfully.

"But you love me." She smirked.

"That I do." I smiled. "Unfortunately." I laughed.

"Hey!"

**Reviews?**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: It's been 6 days since I updated, sorry! I was at a theme park trip for the end of the year today, instead of in school, woo :D It was really fun! Weather was utter crap, but whatever, that's English summer for you. It's hailstoning right now. And we're in the middle of July? Summer my ass. The coach ride back was horrible for multiple reasons and when I came home I sat in my room and cried. I had a really nice time, though. :) But I came home and my mum told me that she's been talking to my older cousin, who's a history teacher, and he said I'm not going to university without a history GCSE. And guess who's not picked history? So she's phoning the school tomorrow to get it changed, and she thinks pyschology and dance are too easy. I don't WANT to do history, I HATE HATE HATE source work with a passion and I HATE writing essays. But I'm too scared to tell her that I don't want to do history, because without bragging here, I'm quite intelligent. Her and my family expect better than the best out of me, and I nearly always live up to that, but when I don't I feel like I've dissapointed them all and I just feel like I'm going to do that if I take history and dance. I wanted to do dance but now I don't because lets be honest, who cares if you can dance? I can do it outside of school. Help me guys? :( I'm really confused and scared, this is my like, whole future I'm deciding and just argh. Advice anyone?**

**I got more reviews than I've ever had last chapter, thank you so much guys! :D Please please PLEASE keep it up, you've no idea how much better it makes me feel when I get reviews!**

**Review replies:**

**KTxx/Katie: I don't know when you're coming back, or if you are back already but I promised you an update, so here it is. :) Bad writing on my part, Peyton was meant to be a bit madder but that's my fault. Yay for Brulian. :D And the making out in the back room was awesome to write, bahahah. XD I was going to go with MSN at first but then I was like omg, no. There's not anything wrong with it, I just don't think it would've worked as well as Skype:') I love the Haley/Quinn relationship! Sorry about Clay/Quinn, but I'm posting a new one shot soon about Clay/Sara. It's kind of depressing but I wrote it for you! Thanks baby cakes! ;D I love you too :) xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**naley12/Zara: Thank you sweet! :) I hope you enjoy this one. :) xo**

**ObsessivePrincess/Ashley: Thank you sis! :) I kind of forgot the whole 'being tutored' thing, but I hope people do remember she isn't perfect. Yay I like that Brooke loves fashion still too. Hahaha, nice comparsion there. :) Thank you sis, you're amazing. Love you! xoxo**

**Jess/Daddy: Omg, please, do not ever read that fic again. I should delete it. It was SO terribly written, no wonder nobody wanted to comment LMAO. It was terrible! Thanks for the advice, I love you alot :) One half, hahahaha, 'cause mommas gone on holiday and left us. :'( Green giant house when she gets back me thinks? ;) LOOOOL. Oh god. We're so bad. I love you daddy! :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Libby: No don't apologise! I was in a bad mood as it was when I read your review and it just pushed me over the edge. I didn't want to sound like a bitch by saying that and I didn't want attention or anything, I just thought I should tell you! I just had a weak moment and didn't take criticism as well as I perhaps should have done. I apologise for the lack of diversity, I know it's missing, I really do. I'm just crap at diversity, end of. I don't know if you know that this is my first fic, well, it's not, but my others were Girls Aloud fanfictions and they were SO terrible I just want to delete them from cyberspace and pretend I never wrote them. So for my next fic, I'll be sure to include diversity. I hope with that one I can please you, because tbh with you, I doubt I'm going to do it with this. Not because I refuse, but I just...I dunno, I just can't seem to write anything other than Naley. I know you never meant to hurt me and I shouldn't have been hurt by what you said, as you said, you were only giving your opinion. But thank you for the compliments about my writing, even if the diversitys missing, I hope you can still enjoy other fics I post in future. I'm about to post a Clay/Sara one shot and I'm writing a Naley one shot based on 3x16, but kind of AU. But it's very Haley centric. I hope you enjoy those. :) It's not that I don't want to change something, I wish I could, but I just can't seem to do it. It would be a shame if you stopped reading 'cause I do have a MAJOR storyline for Haley that may or may not please you, but it does show her imperfections. Kinda. I think. I just hope that you stick around long enough for that. :) I'm sorry once again, I can't please everyone. But thank you for being my first critic, every great writer needs one. I guess you're mine, lol. Thank you for your opinions, and I'm sorry if I ever sounded like a bitch or a whiney brat after attention in my reply last time or this time. Thanks for reviewing anyway. xo**

**Chapter 26**

**A/N: This one skips ahead a few weeks to Worlds team trials. Hope it's not too confusing.**

_*A few weeks later, Worlds team trials*_

Today was the big day. Today, we'd have to prove our strengths and prove to the NGO that we were good enough to be taken to Rio on the World team. This day would be the deciding factor on whether or not we would be put on the World team. If we made it to Worlds, we'd be on the right path to the Olympics, and the NGO would think better of you. Only 6 girls went to Worlds, and only 6 girls went to the Olympics.

There were 12 of us all wanting a place on the World team, as we were all part of the National team. Nobody had any sort of advantage, not even me for being National champion and beating Genji Cho in the invitational against China. We all started on nothing, and worked our way up. The top 6 girls would be the girls who went to Rio.

We'd been training day and night for this, and we all wanted to make it. Only half the girls on the National team would be on the World team, and we had to make sure that half of those spots would go to us.

I pulled on my underwear as I walked into my closet to find a competition leotard I could I wear today. I settled on a pink and purple one, with different shades covering the piece in different waves, with black lines separating each part. I stepped into it and sprayed the underneath of the top of the leotard with Tough Skin spray, to keep it from riding up during competition. You got deductions for picking your leo out your ass, believe it or not.

We had to compete on all four events, beam and bars in the first rotation, and vault and floor in the second. I had to give 110% today, one false move and the NGO could easily slip me to 7th place and I won't get a spot on the World team. It was everything that I'd worked for, so I couldn't lose sight of my dream.

Nathan and I had gone from strength to strength in our relationship, and we were happier than we both ever thought possible. We hated the sneaking around; nothing had changed in that sense, but we were happy, and that's all that mattered. We'd spoken about birth control and decided that I'd start a course if I made the team for Worlds, but not until after competition.

He was everything I could possibly ask for in a boyfriend: kind-hearted; strong; not afraid to show how he feels and best of all he loved me for me. He supported my dream for gymnastics, and he didn't ever try to get me to give it up to be with him. He was perfect, and I didn't see how we could be brought down. We'd decided that we'd tell my parents after Worlds, and wanted to petition to be together. We didn't want to have to hide it anymore, and we felt that after Worlds, things may have calmed down a touch and maybe we wouldn't have to be so secretive.

I was now walking towards the North Carolina Civic Centre, where trials were being held today. The space was often used for bigger scale invitationals, like when we had the meet against China. We were allowed our team mates cheering us on, but anyone not trying out for the Worlds team would be watching the trials on a TV in the room next door. We didn't understand why it had to be that way, but Ellen Biels was a total ice queen when it came to support.

We all decided to wear our club warm-ups today to show our team spirit. We wore our competition ones so it would look better than our normal training ones. Our competition ones were red and purple, with Hillview Gymnastics written on the back of the jacket in diamantes. They were quite girly, but what's a gymnastics competition without a bit of sparkle?

As I walked inside, I caught site of Brooke and Peyton already waiting for me.

"Haley! Where have you been! We're starting in like, 10 minutes and we haven't even warmed up yet." Brooke exclaimed. "You weren't with tutor boy, were you?"

"No!" I exclaimed, laughing. "I actually haven't seen him since last night. He said he was coming to watch, but I haven't seen him yet."

"And what happened last night then?" Peyton winked, elbowing me in the side as we walked into the hall we'd be competing in.

"Nothing happened, actually! Just a bit of making out." I laughed, removing my warm up jacket and bottoms. As much as I loved Brooke and Peyton, I couldn't tell them about Nathan and me. It was still too much of a risk to tell anybody.

"A bit? You were totally all over each other, weren't you?" Brooke questioned.

"Maybe." I giggled, as we walked over to the centre mat to start stretching. We sat down and stretched ourselves out; preparing our bodies for the limits we were going to be pushing them to that day.

Hours later, after we'd finished both rotations; the final results were being decided. We were all sat around the podium they'd created in the middle of the floor mat, talking amongst ourselves while we waited for them to tell us who'd made the team. Our friends and family had been allowed into the gym for this moment, and were standing behind us all.

"You were great today, Haley. You've totally got the first spot on the team." Ciara said.

"Ciara's right, you totally killed it today." Alexis agreed.

"Aw, thanks you guys. But you were great today, too. Good luck to you both." I gave them each a quick hug before looking up to see Rachel standing in front of me.

"What do you want?" I asked, looking up at her.

"I want to tell you that your spot on the Worlds team is mine. You're never going to get in. I'm better than you, Haley, and everybody knows it. I think World champion beats National champion, don't you?" She questioned rhetorically.

"Do yourself a favour Rachel, stop being such a bitch. You'll never make any friends with that attitude." I replied.

"Friends? Who needs them? I want a gold medal in Rio not a friend to gossip with. And you're not going to get in the way of me and that gold medal. You won Nationals by fluke, everybody knows it."

"No, I didn't. Rachel, out of the two of us, who beat Genji Cho for gold? Who choked against Genji Cho?" I spoke. "Oh that's _right, _I beat Genji and you choked. Get over it. I'm better than you."

"Whatever." She stormed off as the NGO rep with the World team jackets in hand walked over to the podium.

We all stood up as they approached, before moving to stand in line with Brooke and Peyton as they began to announce the names of the members of the Worlds team.

"As you know, it was tough competition today. And as you also know, only six of you can make it to Rio. So here we go, good luck girls." Announced Ellen, before moving aside to let Marcus (the head of the NGO), announce the six girls going to Rio.

"The first girl on this year's Worlds team is…" He started, as I grabbed Brooke and Peyton's hands in anticipation. "Haley James, of the Hillview Gymnastics Training Centre."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I did it. I made the Worlds team, in first position. All the hard work and determination paid off, and now I just had to prove myself at Worlds. I screamed in joy as I hugged my two best friends and my parents beside me, before walking over to the NGO rep with the jacket in hand, as she placed it on me. I beamed a great smile at my parents who looked to be filled with pride. I then looked over at Nathan and my smile only got wider.

"In second position..." Marcus started again. "Rachel Gatina, from Charlotte Elite." Everyone smiled and clapped once again out of politeness as Rachel received her jacket and stood on the podium next to me. Why did _she _have to make the team? I still beat her for first position, but that was beside the point.

"The third place, on this year's Worlds team goes to…" He had to have his dramatic pause. "Brooke Davis, of the Hillview Gymnastics Training Centre." The smiles and the claps started once more, and as Brooke received her jacket, and stood on the podium next to me, I gave her a hug to congratulate her.

"In fourth position…from Seattle, Ciara Smith." Once again, the roar of the crowds' cheers and claps rose up.

"The fifth spot, on the US Worlds team goes to…Peyton Sawyer, of the Hillview Gymnastics training centre." We did it! We all made it in. All of our hard work had paid off, and we'd made it. I hugged her as she passed me, before standing back in my position and waited for the final member to be announced.

"The sixth and final spot on the US team competing at Worlds is…Jessica Brown, from Florida."

Everyone was overjoyed, the six girls on the Worlds team had been announced, and all three of us from Hillview had made the team. We were going to compete at Worlds in Rio in a few months. Our dreams were starting to become reality, and everything we worked for had paid off.

A few hours later, I'd only just managed to see Nathan. We'd all gone home to spend time with our families, but mine were driving me insane. I told them I was going out for the night, and they didn't seem to mind too much. They hadn't questioned where I was going so I guess they trusted me enough to leave the house for the night without telling them where I was going. I hadn't bothered picking up anything for the night ahead; apart from the leo and warm-ups I'd need in the morning. I threw my bag in the backseat and drove to my destination. _Nathans._

His parents were out of town again, (when were they not?), and I hadn't had a chance to see him until now. He didn't know I was coming over, and I thought it would be a nice surprise.

I grabbed my bag from the backseat of my car, before stepping out, locking up the car and heading towards the door. I knocked lightly a few times and waited for him to answer.

"Haley! What are you doing here?" He asked. "Never mind that, come here beautiful. I missed you." He said, pulling me into a hug.

"I missed you, too. Hence why I'm here." I replied, the cheery tone in my voice coming across.

"Do your parents know you're here?"

"They know I'm gone for the night but they don't know where. Quinn probably figured it out but she won't say anything." I laughed.

"Come on in, beautiful." He ushered me inside as he closed the door behind us. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"I don't know; anything will do. I just wanted to see you before all the madness starts tomorrow." I told him, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch.

"I never got to tell you how proud I am of you. You did so well today, baby. You deserve that spot on the Worlds team more than anyone else. You've been working for this since you were five, and it's finally paid off. I'm so proud of you, my beautiful angel." He smiled, dropping a kiss on my head as I settled back in his arms.

"Thank you." I smiled. "You weren't seriously watching this, were you?" I asked, referring to the gymnastics news channel he had on. They seemed to be talking about Worlds trials.

"Of course I was. I had to see what they were saying about my girl, didn't I? Just so I could be even prouder of you." He grinned.

"Mm. Well don't let the fame go to your head when we go public, will you?" I laughed.

"Fame when we go public? Did you forget I'm a silver medallist in gymnastics, too? I have my fame." He defended.

"Yeah, but nobody cares about men's gymnastics." I laughed.

"Oh, is that so?" He replied.

"Yep, totally true. Why do you think we get more attention than you do? Why do you think the gym is practically full of girls apart from you, Luke, Julian and Chase?" I asked rhetorically.

"Whatever." He pouted.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that, baby. Come on, I'll make you better." I mocked, giggling and pressing my lips against his. "There. All better." I laughed as he stopped pouting.

"You can be a serious meanie sometimes, you know that?" He asked.

"Oh of course I do. I use it to my advantage. Works every time." I winked as I laughed again. "Nah, seriously. Come on now; put a movie on or something."

He did as he was told and put a DVD in the player. I didn't know what he'd put in, but as soon as the movie started, I knew he'd picked a horror. They were all being murdered with chain saws or being beheaded or turned into zombies or something. Whatever it was, it was super creepy and I wasn't watching the rest of it.

"Nathan. Turn it off. Please?" I begged.

"Why would I do that? I love this film. Plus you're totally scared right now and getting closer to me by the second. I'm enjoying this." He laughed.

"Nathan, seriously, I mean it. I won't kiss you for a week if you don't turn it off." I threatened.

"We both know you don't mean that." He replied.

"Alright, fine. I'll make you a better deal. Turn it off and you can kiss me all you like. Wherever you like. We can make out if you want. I'll even take my shirt off, if it helps." I laughed slightly. "No sex, though."

"Sounds good to me. Can we make your skirt a little shorter, too?" He winked as I laughed.

"I'll take it off if you really want me too." I teased. "All you have to do is turn the film off, and prove to me your worthy of getting my clothes off."

He got up and pressed stop on the player. He turned off the TV and put the DVD back in its case, before making his way back over to me. He instantly moved to kiss me, to which I complied. I let his lips wander all over mine, my cheeks and my neck. _Damn, I was enjoying this way too much. _

A few hours later, I was curled up in Nathans arms on the sofa, watching a movie. We'd been making out furiously for a good few hours and after seeing Nathan suffer long enough, I decided to quit teasing him so bad and we settled on watching a movie to help him calm himself down. The movie was alright, but it was nothing special. So I turned around to Nathan and started talking.

"Baby, take me to bed. It's 11pm and I have to be at practice for 6am. I need to be up at 5am." I pouted, hoping it would work.

"Anything for you, beautiful. Give me one second to turn this off." He said as he got up and turned the movie off. I stood up and entwined our fingers as we walked up the stairs. "Do you want the spare room?" He asked, clearly clueless.

"As if. I want to be in your bed. With you in it, preferably." I stated, walking to his door.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Do you want something to sleep in?" He asked.

"Please. Just something big and loose." I requested.

"Alright, I know what to get." He walked over to his closet and pulled out what looked to be an old basketball jersey. "You can have this, if you want. I'm not much of a basketball fan anymore. My dad just bought it for me hoping to sway me into basketball. I don't think I ever wore it." He explained, throwing it to me.

"Thank you, it'll be fine." I said as I removed my top and skirt and pulled it over my head. It was massive on me, and ended just below my thighs. It was perfect. "See, its perfect; just what I wanted. Now come on, take me to bed." I requested, holding my hand out to him.

He took it and guided me to the bed, before letting go and letting me get in with him. I instantly cuddled into his side, wanting his arms around me as we slept.

"Goodnight, Nathan. I love you." I yawned, as my eyes got heavier.

"Goodnight, baby. I love you, too. More than anything." He replied; dropping a kiss on my head before we both fell into a slumber that would get us through the night.

**Review worthy?**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm skipping a few months in this chapter, to get us to Worlds in Rio. Hope the time jumps aren't too confusing. **

**I finally decided what to do with my options, I dropped ICT for History, which my mum was pleased with. I'm still taking Pyschology and Dance, so I'm still pretty happy with my options. In other news, SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE SUMMER. FINALLY. Haha, I literally ran out of school. :') I'm now unoffically Year 10. Scary much? But I'm actually excited, believe it or not! I'm dying my hair the last week of the holidays, FINALLY. :D And I got my information about my work placement back today, I'm working 9-5 every Friday from 9th September - 16th December, so it won't affect us immeaditly but I have a little less time (around 6 hours a week) to write, possibly more depending on the coursework I have to do. But we'll worry about that when it comes to it, for now, I have nearly 7 weeks of free time to write, woo. :) **

**In even better news, GUESS WHO'S GOING TO SEE KATE VOEGELE! SO SO EXCITED. AND I GOT TICKETS TO THE WANTED AS WELL, OMG. WUIHFGYFUYWEH. *dies* Sorry, spaz over.**

**Reviews -**

**Libby: I understand, and it's alright. I want to thank you for reading the first place, you've helped me realise what I need to do to make it even better and I'll try to acknowledge that for later stories I might post. I hope you read some of my other things in the future, you've been a good reviewer as far as criticism (sp?) is concerned. :P I'm sorry that I couldn't provide enough diversity, and I appreciate every review you've ever given me. Even if it doesn't seem like it, I'm glad you reviewed. Now I can work to improve this for future fics. :) Thank you for reading xo**

**naley12/Zara: Thanks for your review sweet! :) The sneaking around is the best bit about their relationship me thinks, bahahaha. Makes it all the more hot ;) xx**

**Jess/Daddy: hahahahaha! Forget "it's a party in the USA" now it's a party in the green giant house! LOOOOL:') and the best part about that line is I generally didn't make it up! You actually do get deductions in actual competitions for picking your leo out your ass. :L I sorted all the school stuff now but thanks for the advice :) Love you!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**KTxx/Katie: AT LAST. I have missed you so much! Hahahaha, I'm that sad. Welcome Hoback to sunny ol' England! :D Hahaha! As soon as I get it betaed (should be any time this weekend, depending on Shay :P) I'll post it! :) Hahaha, yeah, bitchy Haley indeed. I didn't originally have that but I added it in for some reason that's beyond me. I just thought the movie watching would be cute hahahaha. I'll try and add some more in for you ;) There's talk of him at the end of this chapter but not much else as of yet. :L Hope you like it! :) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 27**

We made it. We'd made it to Rio, and now was our time to shine. We'd arrived a few days ago, and when we weren't competing or doing press, we were in the gym, training. We had our routines perfect, but we were adding those final touches to make them even more perfect to ensure us the team gold.

We had a press launch the day after we arrived, in which each girl on the team would wear the same outfit, to show team unity. Every country competing did it. Our outfit was a white cami top with a pair of blue high-waisted shorts. We'd answered a few of the questions by the press, and judging by the questions we were asked, we'd gotten a bit of information on the odds.

Every scenario predicted a three-way race between Russia, China and the US. Every one of those scenarios predicted the US third. And we were going to prove those scenarios wrong. We'd fight till the end and we were determined to win.

22 teams would compete tomorrow; the top four would advance to the finals the next day. We'd competed today, and made the top four advancing to the finals in two days, along with Russia, Romania and Spain in first, second and fourth position. We'd slotted in third position. While the competition was going on today, it was our only time for social activities. We couldn't hide the fact that we were dying to go shopping while we were here in Rio. Tom had given us a curfew to be back by, and we intended to stick to it.

As much as I loved shopping, I'd much rather be with Nathan. It was his Worlds too, but like I told him a few months back, nobody really paid attention to men's gymnastics. So after 2 hours of shopping in Rio, I'd decided I'd gotten everything that I want, and my arms were full of shopping bags, so I may as well get back to the hotel and try to spend some time with Nathan.

As soon as I got back to the hotel, I headed to my room to drop my bags inside. As I did so, I noticed Nathan sitting on the end of my bed with a grin on his face. How he'd gotten in here and past Tom was beyond me.

"Nathan! How did you get in here? And how did you get past Tom? He'll kill us if he finds out you're in here!" I exclaimed.

"Does it really matter? He won't find out because he's not here. He's gone sightseeing or something. He doesn't have to know anything." He smirked, as I put my bags on the floor. "Looks like you had a hell of a shopping trip." He laughed, as I walked over to him.

"Mm, when you go shopping with Brooke Davis, nothings impossible." I laughed in reply as I sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.

We spoke for a few minutes, catching each other up on the past couple of days, before we ended up making out furiously.

After a few hours, we noticed the time was getting closer to curfew and Nathan would have to leave. I sighed at the realisation.

"I don't want you to go. I barely ever see you. I'm always in the gym training." I sighed, wrapping my arms tighter around him.

"I know, babe. I don't want to go either. But you know I have to. Tom would kill us if he found us in here together. And you're always in the gym because you're training to achieve your dreams. This is only the start for you, Haley James. I promise you that. Now get some rest and do me proud in competition tomorrow. I'll be watching, I promise." He spoke, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"If you say so. But only for you. I'll be looking for you tomorrow. You'll be my good luck charm." I smiled, placing a light kiss on his lips before he got up and walked towards the door. His hand was on the door handle when I spoke up. "Nathan."

"Yeah?" He turned around to face me for a moment.

"I love you." I smiled.

"I love you, too." He smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow. You'll be amazing. You always are."

And as he left, I was beginning to fall asleep, so I let the sleep take over me and dreamt of our perfect life together in the future.

Tomorrow had arrived quicker than I thought. It was now 3pm, and the eight teams that had made the team finals were competing in the penultimate rotation. The teams competing had definitely brought their A-game, and we were going to need something spectacular to pull up the leader board. We were currently in fourth position, behind China, Russia and Romania in first, second and third position.

Peyton was about to land her first vault. She nailed the landing, as expected, but something was obviously wrong. At first, she was hopping to keep her balance. And then she fell. We gathered around her, to see that she'd busted her ankle again. Tom examined it and determined that it wasn't broken but she'd need a doctor to see it. She tried to stand up but failed on her own, so we helped her stand.

"I'm benching you." Tom spoke sternly.

"No! You can't! I've got to do this, for my dad. I owe him that much." She pleaded. "There's no way I can compete on floor now. If I don't medal in vault, I would've signed away my college eligibility for nothing. Sure they gave us $25,000 as a starting payment but I could earn 10 times that if I medal in this. I'll fight through it."

"How do you expect to stick the landing?" Tom asked.

"On one foot, I guess. Just please, I have to do this." She pleaded once more. He nodded his confirmation and I helped her walk back to the start of the vault.

"I'm proud of you, Peyt. As your captain and as your friend, give it all you've got. Today, you own the vault." I spoke as she nodded and went to her starting position.

I walked back to the end of the vault, waiting for her to start. She was in pain but she fought through it as she ran down the 82ft runway and launched herself into the vault. We watched in anticipation as she flew through the air, about to land her move. And that she did. On one foot.

The crowd roared in excitement as she landed, and she was still standing. We helped her over to where we were standing as we watched the score board change. Peyton's vault had moved us past Russia and into second position behind China.

Now, it was all down to me on floor. I'd trained hardest in this event, and not making the gold now would be a disappointment to my team and to me. I had to do this perfectly.

I'd completely revoked my routine since the meet against China, and since World trials. Nobody apart from Tom had seen this routine before. I trained day and night to execute all the tumbling passes perfectly, and to make sure the dance elements were strong and clean. One tenth of a point deduction and I could lose out.

I stood just in front of the corner my first tumbling pass started in and waited for the music to start. And as it did, I started to move. First a series of dance elements, 22 seconds before I moved back into the corner to start my first tumble: the double Arabian. I launched myself into the move, flying through the air as I did so. I reached the other corner and nailed the landing. Another 22 seconds of dance elements before I launched myself into my second tumble.

I reached the other side of the mat within seconds and nailed the landing once again. A final 10 seconds of dance elements before my routine finished. I looked up as I finished and signalled by raising my arms above my head that I was finished. I looked towards the crowd to see Nathans beaming face staring at me. I smiled back at him, with a slight laugh at the reality that my floor routine could possibly win us the team finals. I moved off the mat and back to where my team mates and coach were waiting.

I hugged each of them in return and grinned at their compliments before turning to face the score board which was not yet changed. We stood (or sat in Peyton's case) anxiously as we stared at the score board, waiting for it to update. The few seconds it took were antagonizing. Finally, they announced that the final scores were being tabulated. And that's when the realisation hit me.

_We won. _

The USA Worlds team 2011 had defied all the odds and beaten both China and Russia, beaten both Genji _and _Ivanka. I couldn't believe that I was the one to bring us to victory. Not just to the club but to the country as well. The team from the USA had won the gold medal in the team finals.

Each team walked towards the oversized podium they had created for each team, and stood in their respective places.

"Now, accepting their gold medals," the announcer spoke as the crowd cheered. "The team from the United States of America." The voice boomed as the gold medals were placed around our necks in turn and we were each handed our bouquet of flowers. We pressed our hands to our hearts as the National Anthem played, before raising our flowers into the air and smiling a grin wider than we ever thought possible.

A few days later, all the finals for Worlds were over and we had one last day on Rio to spend doing whatever we liked before we had to head back to Tree Hill. We all had our phones, so if need be we would be contacted. Nathan and I wanted to spend the day together, but we didn't want to risk being caught together.

It was harder for us now, everyone in Rio and pretty much everyone in Brazil knew who we were, so going on a date was near enough impossible. We'd spent pretty much the entire day apart, so I snuck into Nathans hotel room for a few hours before lights out. They didn't check rooms until about half an hour before lights out, so we were safe for a few hours.

"I love you, you know that?" Nathan questioned as he looked me in the eyes.

"I know. I love you, too. And I'm really proud of you, too." I smiled, placing a kiss on his lips lightly. Nathan had won the individual all-around title for Men's World Gymnastics Championship, as I did for the Women's. The US had dominated Worlds this year.

"I'm more proud of you; my baby won Team finals, all-around finals _and _one event final." The US team won gold for the team finals; I got gold in the all-around finals and gold on floor in the event finals. I was happy with myself, and since floor was my best apparatus, I couldn't be happier that I was World all-around champion as well as World floor champion.

"Thank you. You were still amazing. And I still love you, more than anything." I smiled, pressing my lips against his once more. He returned the kiss sweetly before things got a bit more heated between us. The light, sweet kiss soon turned into a heated make out session between us, neither of us wanting to stop. I clasped my arms around the back of his neck while he ran his fingers through my hair.

I moved on top of him to get rid of his shirt, and placed kisses along his bare chest, making a path up to his neck and then to his lips. I attacked them with my own once again, before granting his tongue entry as he ran it across my bottom lip. I moaned slightly into his mouth before pulling away to remove my own shirt.

"Haley, are you sure you want this?" He questioned, breathless.

"More than anything. I want you, Nathan." I replied.

"We haven't got anything though…do you still want to do this?" He questioned once more.

"I trust you, Nathan. Plus I'm on birth control. Just didn't tell anybody because I knew they'd freak out. And we agreed, didn't we?" I told him, moving my lips back to his and whispering onto them "Now kiss me. I want you."

"I want you too, you know that." He whispered back onto my lips.

"Then stop talking and kiss me." And he did as he was told. He stopped talking and ran his fingers through my hair once more, kissing me senseless. When my shirt came off, he did as I did with him, leaving a path of kisses up from my stomach to my neck and finally claiming my lips back with his.

A while later, we were lying in his hotel room, curled up together, without a care in the world. We were happy to be with each other, and we both knew that in a matter of minutes we'd have to be split up. Neither of us wanted that, but if I had any hope of getting back to my hotel room before lights out warning, I'd have to leave. Neither of us had bothered putting clothes back on; nothing was happening between us so we just decided to leave it and be together without any worries.

"I don't want to go." I pouted as I looked up at him.

"I don't want you to go either." He replied, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "But you know you have to. If you're not in your hotel room when they come checking rooms, they'll kill you. Especially if they found out you were in here with me." He explained matter of factly, stroking the tops of my arms.

"I just wish we could be together without worrying about others. You know, after the Olympics, I don't care what happens; I'm going to go public about us. That way I have another four years before the next Olympics and while I'm at college, there's nothing stopping me from having a relationship with you." I smiled, placing a light kiss on his lips.

"I know. And I'll support you in your decision to do that. You know I want it too. But if we're both on college scholarship, for college gymnastics, as you said, there's nothing stopping us about going public. And we can do just that." He smiled back, returning my kiss.

I stood up slowly, getting out of the bed and pulling my clothes back on.

"Where'd you go?" He questioned, as I finished dressing.

"Its 10:25 and I have 5 minutes before they start checking rooms. I have to go, you know that. Sorry, baby." I pouted in return, placing a kiss on his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, though. We'll have a few hours at the airport if we're sneaky enough. Bye, baby. I'll see you tomorrow. Even if we're back at home I'll be with you one way or another." I placed a final kiss on his lips, which he returned before he spoke.

"I love you, too, my beautiful girl." He smiled and gave me a final kiss before I headed for the door.

I snuck out and back down to the hotel room Brooke and I were sharing, and made it just in time before room check. Once the ice queen, Ellen, had left, Brooke and I were having our own conversation.

"So where were you? You had to sneak back minutes before room check, so I guess you were with tutor boy?" She asked, to which I nodded.

"Yep, sure was. I'm not denying it; I'm totally in love with him. He's just so perfect and wonderful and once the Olympics are over, we're going to be together, properly." I smiled and sighed happily as I threw myself backwards onto my bed.

"You've got it bad." Brooke laughed.

"You can talk! How's it going with lover boy?" I questioned as I sat up, giving her a cheeky wink.

"Julian is a very nice guy, actually. We're taking it slow, but that doesn't mean we haven't hooked up once or twice." She winked in return.

"Ew, Brooke! That's too much!" I laughed, throwing a pillow at her.

"Right. Like you and tutor boy haven't done it." She laughed in return.

"We haven't!" I exclaimed. I couldn't let her find out.

"Sure. That's why you paid a late night visit to his hotel room and came back with your untied when it was when you went up there, and your clothes in a state." She laughed. "You don't have to lie to me, Haley. I'm not going to judge you or tell on you. I'm your best friend, you know that." She reassured, gripping my hands in hers.

"I know, Brooke. I do. But you have a tendency to spill everything. I don't mean to be rude, but you do. This is the one thing that you cannot tell anyone, okay? I've only told Quinn. Please, Brooke. You can't say anything." I looked up at her, my eyes shining with tears.

"Oh, Haley. Come here." She pulled me against her side in a hug. "I'm your best friend, and you're my best friend. You tell me everything. I won't tell. I know I'm a bit of a loud mouth but I know how important this is to you. You wouldn't have given up your virginity to him if you didn't think you'd be together forever. Which you totally are. You two are sickeningly cute. But the point is; I know sex is a big deal for you. And I wouldn't ever tell anybody." She promised, holding her little finger out. "Pinkie swears."

I hooked my little finger through hers and wiped at my tears laughing slightly. "Pinkie swears." I replied. "Thank you, Brooke." I smiled slightly, getting into bed.

"You're welcome. Just don't be having any sexual dreams about tutor boy now will you? I can't be dealing with that while I'm trying to get my beauty sleep." She laughed.

"I promise, Brooke. Goodnight." I spoke, turning out the light beside my bed.

"Goodnight, Hales."

**Good enough for a review? Tell me what you think!**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Hey guys :) I'm sorry I leave so long between updates when truth be told I'm actually writing Chapter 40 as I write this! My beta had to remind me to update, sorry, hahaha. So anyway, I had to go orthodontist on Monday, I just got a new one 'cause my old one hadn't gotten a renewed contract. Anyway, he basically said that my brace had been fitted wrong, so he took off the wire and refitted it! So ever since then I've been getting used to it all over again, which in simple terms, means I've been in pain since I had it refitted. The only good thing that came of it was that he put little pink bits in behind the bits that go on my teeth, so that's cool. **

**I only got one review on my last chapter, and I don't want to moan or whine or anything but I'd really love to know what you thought. Also, I uploaded a new fic this week, called 'My Immortal', it's only a one shot, but I'd love to know what you thought of that! It's a Clay/Sara story but hey. Read the summary on my profile. :) **

**KTxx/Katie: Thank you for your review babe! You asked for drama, just you wait until the end of this chapter, you might hate me forever. XD I also can't take credit for Peyton landing a one foot vault, I stole the idea off MIOBI, funnily enough the girl who did it is called Payson. Hahaha. Obviously! Baley is the best. :) And there's more Brulian hints to come...in later chapters, sorry lol! Hope you like this and don't kill me. XD xxxxxxxxxxx**

**Major dramarama for Haley at the end of this chapter, hope you all enjoy it!**

**Chapter 28**

**A/N: This one skips about three months to Olympic trials. **

It was the start of summer 2012, which could only mean one thing. Olympic trials day had officially begun. Today was the day in which the six girls going to the Olympics would be decided. We all had to compete for the spots as we did at World trials, but now this was on a much higher scale. The top six girls competing would represent Team USA at the London Olympics in about two months.

As with the World trials, the top six girls would be chosen. However, it was different to Worlds. The top two gymnasts of the competition would be the two all-around gymnasts that would compete for the all-around title, whilst the other four would be decided through who was strongest on each event. With two all-around finalists, those girls would be seen as the ones who would qualify for the all-around finals, while the other four specialists would be the qualifiers for the event finals.

Today was a huge day for all of the girls on the National team, and we knew that the six girls on the Olympic team would have their names known forever. The team we had at the moment was considered as one of the best teams the US has ever had, and if the NGO picked the wrong girls today, their chance of Olympic gold was gone.

I'd gotten over my aversion to wearing pink leotards, but I didn't wear them often. My competition leotard for today was pink, but I was happy to wear it. It was a hot pink colour, with black and white stripes on the bottom of one sleeve and around one side of the leotard. It had diamante swirls as most of the leotards I owned did, and a lighter pink colour covering one sleeve. It was one of my newer leotards, and I quite liked it. If it wasn't for the fact that Brooke had_ insisted_ we all wear pink today, to show team unity as a club and as friends, I probably wouldn't have worn it. It wasn't so bad, though.

I pulled it on over my underwear, making sure that the straps to my bra were completely hidden, because the judges penalised you for that, too. I lifted the top of the bottom of the leotard and sprayed the inside with Tough Skin spray, to stop it from rising up while I was competing. Points were deducting for picking your leo out your ass, too, believe it or not. I'd learnt my lesson with that when I was six years old.

Brooke had designed us all new warm-ups to match our leo's, and they were pink, obviously. She had our names rhinestoned into the back of the jackets, and that was only because she wanted us to look better than any of the other girls. She practically insisted we all wear the same today.

I plaited the front section of my hair and clipped it back to fit into the ponytail that the rest of my hair was tightly pulled into. I pulled a bobble in place first, before pulling two more over it to keep it tightly pulled. I then placed my bigger and materialised pink bobble over the top of it. Once again, Brooke had insisted we go all out with the colour co-ordination and even go as far as having pink ribbons braided into our hair. Peyton and I had drawn a line there.

I pulled my warm ups over my leotard and took a final look in the mirror. I was quite happy with overall appearance, so I grabbed my gym bag and headed for the door.

As I pulled up at the civic centre once more, as I had done previously for World trials just a few months ago, I took a deep breath to stop my nerves from completely overtaking me. Today would practically decide my whole future. Today would decide the fate of my college scholarship. If I do well enough here today, I could have some endorsement deals lined up. At least that's what my PR agent said.

I saw Brooke and Peyton's cars pull up beside mine, and I got out, greeting them both.

"Hey, girls." I spoke first, pulling them into a hug.

"Hey, Haley." Peyton replied.

"Hi, Hales." Brooke smiled.

"Nervous?" I asked.

"Totally. You?" Brooke replied first, whilst Peyton nodded in agreement.

"Totally." I agreed, walking between them into the gym where we'd be competing today.

We walked into the gym all together, our warm up jackets were still on but we'd taken the bottoms off. We watched as everyone turned to stare at the new arrivals. Not only were friends and family here tonight, anybody from the general public could get their hands on tickets for this event. It was nerve-wracking enough to have to compete in front of the NGO for a spot on the Olympic team, let alone anyone in America.

We tried to ignore their presence as we warmed up, stretching out key muscles and joints and making sure they were ready for the strenuous routines we'd be performing.

About an hour after we arrived, they announced the start of the competition.

_This was it._

Day two of the Olympic trials, and everything had gone perfectly yesterday. I was currently in second position behind Rachel. Today would change that. Even being in second I would make the team, as the second all-around gymnast, but second wasn't my goal. I was headed for gold, so today was crucial.

I'd seen Nathan for a while last night and he'd convinced me that I was going to beat Rachel for gold today. He always knew exactly what to say in any situation; one of the many reasons I loved him. If not for myself, I would push and fight harder than ever before to beat Rachel for the first spot on the Olympic team for him. For us. Because if I didn't get on the team, then all the work I've been doing and the training I've been doing has been for nothing all of these years.

I walked into the gym for the second day of trials, smiling nervously at the crowd that were slowly filling up the seats. Brooke had insisted we wear the same warm-ups as yesterday, but today we'd all gone for red leotards instead of pink. I walked over to greet them as I entered, giving them each a hug in turn and making our way to the floor mat to start stretching.

"How are we all doing?" I asked.

"Nervous as hell. There's no way I'm going to make the top two with you and Rachel fighting for those spots. But I'm hoping for at least third position. I have to make the team, and if not as an all-around gymnast, I need my bars routine to be flawless, else I'm screwed." Brooke replied. "How about you Peyt?"

"You pretty much said what I was thinking." She laughed. "Except I need my beam routine to be flawless if I have any hope of making the team." She replied.

"Don't give up all hope. One of you could easily take second from Rachel. But neither of you are getting the first spot." I laughed.

We continued stretching for a while, encouraging each other to do well before the competition started. As we sat and stretched, Rachel walked over and stood in front of us.

"Hey team mates." She smiled smugly. "But I guess you won't be for much longer. There's no way any of you are making the team today."

"What do you want, Rachel?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Just wishing you good luck. You'll need it." She replied.

"We don't need your luck. We're going to make the team, like it or not. And in case you haven't already noticed, I'm going to kick your ass." I smiled, more a smirk than a smile.

"Whatever. We both know that won't happen, Haley." She replied.

"Oh yeah? So why did I get to compete as the all-around in Rio and not you? Oh that's _right_, you choked." I smirked.

"No I didn't. My ankle just wasn't fully recovered." She replied quickly.

"Whatever you say, Rach." I winked and laughed. "Now, if you don't mind, I have myself an Olympic trial to win."

And with that, she was gone.

A few hours later, and the members of the Olympic team were being decided by the judges and the NGO. For now, all we could do is wait in anticipation and hope for the best.

I was sat amongst a group of girls on the National team, while we waited for the results. Altogether, there were around eight of us: Brooke, Peyton, Alexis, Alicia, Ciara, Jessica and myself.

"Haley, I don't know why you're nervous. You know you've made the team, you kicked Rachel's ass and finished in first. You'll be the first all-around finalist and everyone knows it." Alexis said.

"Thanks, Alexis. But I'm still nervous as hell. Just because I kicked Rachel's ass and finished in first doesn't mean I'm guaranteed a spot. They could go with anyone else who they thought was a better all-around finalist than I am." I replied. "You shouldn't be nervous, though. You'll do great. All of you."

"Thanks, Haley." Alexis smiled.

"Thank you, Haley." Ciara joined in. "But we all know you made the team first." She laughed.

"Maybe so. But that doesn't mean I'm not nervous. Come on, they're about to announce the results." I spoke as we got up and stood in a line in front of the NGO reps.

"Competition was tough today. You all know that. We had a tough decision to make. But we're confident that the six girls we've chosen will lead us to victory in London next year." We all cheered as she mentioned the victory. "So good luck to you all." Ellen finished off, letting Marcus step into position.

"The first girl on the Olympic team for 2012 is…" He paused, as we gripped hands tighter. "Haley James, of the Hillview Gymnastics training centre!" He smiled, as I let go of the hands beside me and screamed.

I couldn't believe I'd made the _Olympic _team in first position. I'd be competing at the Olympics! I couldn't believe it. All of my dreams were starting to become a reality. I stepped up to the podium and smiled as the crowd cheered, but only looking at one face in particular. _Nathans._

His beaming smile was clear to see, even from here. I couldn't wait to see him later.

"The second girl on the Olympic team is…Rachel Gatina, of Charlotte Elite." He spoke, as she beamed at the crowds' cheers and walked to step onto the podium beside me. _Ugh, why her? She was bad enough in Rio._

"And those are the two girls that will be competing as all-around gymnasts in London in about three months." He spoke, as we beamed at our audience. "Now, we will announce the other four positions on the team."

"The third spot on the US Olympic team 2012 is…" He paused. "Peyton Sawyer, from Hillview Gymnastics training centre, specialising on beam."

Peyton beamed with happiness as she stepped forward to claim her spot on the team. I gripped her hand, and smiling I whispered to her "congratulations, you deserve it."

"The fourth spot on the US Olympic team 2012 is…" Marcus started again. "Brooke Davis, of the Hillview Gymnastics training centre, specialising on bars."

Brooke stepped forward and smiled at Peyton and me, before moving to stand in line next to Rachel.

"The fifth spot on the US Olympic team 2012 is…" He repeated. "Ciara Smith, from Seattle, specialising on vault."

Ciara was a nice girl and everybody seemed to get on with her. She was one of those faces that once she smiled; you couldn't help but smile too.

"The sixth and final spot on the US Olympic team 2012 is…" He said for the final time. "Charlotte Anderson, from the Hillview gymnastics training centre."

Charlie had made the team! She smiled and everybody heard her scream as she joined the line-up of the US girls that had made the Olympic team. Despite only being 15, Charlie had been allowed to try out today, because she would be 16 during the calendar year. In fact, she'd be 16 the day before we leave for London.

Now that the Olympic team was set, all that was left to do was train harder than we'd ever trained before. In three months, we'd be on a flight to London for the Olympics. Between now and then, training would be intense. Even more so than normal.

The event had been broadcasted on National TV, so channels that were filming naturally wanted interviews with the new Olympic team. After each channel had been told the same thing about how we're so happy to be on the team, we were training harder than ever and we were going to kick ass in London, we finally got to leave. I had yet to find Nathan, and that was the next task on my list. Except it was held up, again.

"Haley! Could you come here please?" Tom bellowed across the hall.

"Yeah, sure." I jogged over to where he was standing. "What's up?" I asked.

"The head of the Olympic committee would like to talk with you." I followed his gaze to the box above the gym where a figure was pacing back and forth.

"Alright, I'll go now." I said, as I walked away from him and towards the stairs leading to the box.

I climbed the stairs leading to the entrance, before knocking and entering on command. He told me to take a seat, and gestured for me to do so as he did. I sat down and looked at him.

"Thank you for coming, Haley. This is a bit awkward."

"No disrespect, sir. But did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"No, you haven't broken any rules, Haley." He sighed.

"What? What is it?" I asked, my nerves increasing.

"We came across something of concern on a test we did on your urine sample. As you know, we have to do these tests to ensure the use of drugs stays prohibited." He spoke.

"I haven't taken anything. I swear." I spoke.

"It wasn't drugs we found on your test, Haley." He replied.

"Then what was it?" I questioned, looking at him.

"It seems…" He sighed.

"It seems what?" I asked, impatiently waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"It seems…you're pregnant."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hey guys! :) I didn't leave too long between these updates, see, I'm getting better! I was gonna leave it longer but I was talking to Katie (KTxx) last night and she reminded me to do it, hahaha. I'm that bad. I was up till like 1am last night for NO reason at all, nearly dropped my laptop on my head a few times while looking at photos/GIFs/quotes from Amy/Rory on Tumblr, nearly died, but it's cool! Also, just so you know, my little sister is a total bitch! She chucked a bunch of her crap all over my bedroom floor and refuses to clean it up because I wouldn't help her tidy her room! PFFFT. Anyway, I hope you like this one!**

**Review replies:**

**Katie/KTxx: Hehehe..sorry, had to be done ;) But I rather like where this is going :) Yeah my bad about that line, not sure I should've written that, hahah. You're not horrible, you're my rainbow-Pond/Williams-loving buddy ;) I told you before about them but they're so cute! You're amazing :) Hope you like this bb!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**inlovewithCMandOTH: Thank you very much for your review! :) Made me smile :) I sent you a preview when you reviewed, so I hope you liked it. :) Enjoy this x**

**Zara/naley12: I don't blame you sweet, ha, you've got a life other than this, it's okay. Glad you like it :) Hope you like this x**

**Keep up the reviews guys, I really appreciate them! You've got no idea how much better they make me feel when everything else seems to be falling apart around me. :( Anyway, enjoy this.**

**Chapter 29**

**A/N: No time jump in this chapter, follows directly from the last.**

"_It seems…you're pregnant." _

The words rang in my head as he said them. This couldn't happen. I'd just made the Olympic team, so how could I be pregnant? I was on birth control, so how could this happen?

"How…how could this happen? I was on birth control. This cannot happen." I spoke, my voice breaking as I felt the tears well in my eyes.

"You did leave at least three weeks after you were given a course of it, didn't you?" He asked.

"Well…no." I replied. "I didn't know I had too."

"Did you use a condom?" This was so embarrassing, talking sex with the head of the Olympic committee, no thank you.

"No. We thought we were safe because I was on birth control. Well at least we thought I was." I said.

"Well then there's your answer. Haley, how could you do it in the first place? Let alone get yourself pregnant. Your future is practically ruined." He sighed.

"I know. Why do you think I'm so upset? I just made the Olympic team. I thought all my dreams were coming true. But I guess I thought wrong. Thank you for your time, anyway. I have to go." I managed to get out, through the tears that were now falling as I ran from the office and straight to my car, rushing past everybody and anybody in my path.

How was I going to deal with this? How was I going to tell Nathan? Quinn? Tom? Brooke? Peyton? How will I tell my parents that I'm pregnant but they didn't even know I had a boyfriend? My dad will kill me. My brothers will kill Nathan. Everyone's going to be so disappointed in me. I'd managed to screw up my career before I even had a chance to compete in the Olympics.

I had no idea what to say or do, so I just went to the one place where everything seemed to make sense. Where everything was okay, and I felt like I was safe. Nathan wasn't even home when I arrived, but I knew he would be within a few minutes, so I sat on his doorstep and waited for him.

He had to know, and I needed to get it out. So maybe talking to him was the best thing for me; maybe he could help me decide what I needed to do. For the moment, though, my head was swimming with the thoughts of what I needed to do, who I needed to tell, and most of all how all of those people I needed to tell would react. Everything was so complicated and messy, and the tears wouldn't subside. I wrapped my jacket tighter around me as the wind blew, while I just sat at the doorstep of my boyfriend and now father to my baby's house and sobbed my heart out.

It was about a half hour later when Nathan's car finally pulled up in the driveway, and I stood up to greet him, my tears slowly subsiding but refusing to leave completely. As soon as he was close enough to me, I threw my arms around him and began to sob again.

"Baby, what's the matter? I saw you run out of the gym. I was worried about you. I got away as soon as I could," He spoke softly, as he fumbled in his pockets for the key. "Come on, let's get you inside. You shouldn't be out here in the cold."

I walked inside with him, before walking into the living room and slowly sitting on the sofa. He sat down next to me and took my hands in his before he spoke.

"Haley, what is it? I can't help you if you don't let me in." He stated. He didn't have the slightest clue about what was going on.

"I'm pregnant." I whispered, before breaking down into another frenzy of sobs, and letting myself fall into his arms as he reassured me.

"What?" He asked, obviously shocked. "But you were on birth control. How did it happen?"

"I don't know, he just said that apparently it takes a few weeks to kick in. Nobody told me that, I thought we were safe." I cried, looking up at him. "I'm so sorry. You hate me don't you? I'll just go." I rambled, getting up to leave.

"No, stay." He commanded, as I sat back down next to him. "I don't hate you, Haley. I could never hate you. I'm just…shocked. To say the least, I'm shocked. I had no idea. I'm sorry, baby." He tried comforting me, but it only made me cry harder.

"What are we going to do?" I sniffed. "I have to tell everyone. Including my parents and my brothers and sisters. That'll go down well, 'Oh yeah, I'm pregnant by the way. But I never told you I was secretly dating my best friend's sworn enemy behind your back'. They're going to hate me. I've ruined everything."

"No, you haven't. Try and calm down, Hales. It's not good for the baby." He spoke.

"I have. And as if what I do hasn't already hurt it. I didn't even know." I countered. "What are we going to do?"

"We are going to be just fine. We'll decide what we want to do, together." He gripped my hands as he spoke. "Alright?"

"Okay." I replied. "Do you want it?" I decided to start the conversation.

"Kind of. But I'll support you whatever you do. This is your dream and your career we're talking about, too. I think the better question is do you want it?" He asked.

"I don't know. I just made the Olympic team and all of my dreams are within touching distance, but I can only have one or the other. I need to see the doctor, I know that much." I replied. "Maybe I'll know what to do once I've seen a doctor. Will you come with me?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. But you can't come to practice, alright? We don't want to risk any more damage if there already is some. But I doubt it. When do you want to go?" He asked.

"As soon as possible. They didn't tell me anything, just that I'm pregnant." I sniffed, tears still falling from my eyes.

"Come here." He opened his arms to me and I let myself willingly fall into them, sobbing into his shirt. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise you, it will." He comforted, rubbing my back and placing soft kisses on the top of my head.

"How do you know that though?" I spoke through my tears. "I've ruined everything. 12 years of hard work and having a completely different life to anybody else is just gone. Everyone's going to hate me."

"Nobody is going to hate you, Haley. It wasn't your fault that nobody told you to wait a few weeks else it won't work." He stated.

"But I was the one who started it. If I had just stopped or listened to you when you told me you didn't have anything, none of this would've ever happened." I cried harder.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay. I promise you, whatever you decide; I'll support you in that choice. And nobody is going to hate you." He promised, intertwining our fingers and placing a kiss on the top of my head. "You got that?"

"Got it. Nathan, could you make that appointment with the doctor? I need to know, you know." I pleaded.

"Of course. I'll do it now." He placed a kiss on my forehead before standing up and getting the phone.

With Nathan's persuasive argument, the receptionist had managed to get us an appointment within the hour. Nathan didn't think I was in a fit enough state to drive whilst I'd been so upset, so he was driving us to the doctor. As we pulled up outside the clinic, I took a deep breath and looked over to Nathan.

"I'm scared." I admitted.

"I know, but I promised you it would be okay, and it will be. You ready?" He asked, moving to get out of the car. I pulled his arm back and placed a kiss on his lips softly, before letting myself smile slightly.

"I am now." I smiled slightly, before getting out of the car and walking to his side to intertwine our fingers and walk to the doctor's office.

We walked in together, checking in with the receptionist before taking a seat each in the waiting area. There were all different couples and pregnant women waiting as well as us, some looked as if they were near the end of their pregnancy and some looked to be at the very beginning. I didn't know where exactly I was, I've only ever had one period in my entire life, one reason why I didn't realize I was pregnant.

We waited for about 15 minutes before they called my name, and those 15 minutes could've been 15 years and I wouldn't have known. The time seemed to be at a standstill, each minute passing like an hour and each hour passing like a day. It always happens when you're in those moments when you need the time to go fast. This was one of those moments.

"Haley James? Dr. Song will see you now." The nurse called out, looking over my forms. I stood up and turned back when I noticed Nathan wasn't.

"Come on, you're coming with me. I can't do this by myself." I pleaded, holding out my hand to him. He stood up and took it in his own as we walked into the doctor's office.

"Miss James is it? If you'd just hop up there for me." Dr. Song smiled, gesturing to the bed in the middle of the room. I sat on it as she walked over to me.

"You can call me Haley. Miss James makes me feel old and posh, and clearly, I'm not." I laughed slightly, holding Nathans hand tightly as he sat next to me.

"Haley it is then. What can I do for you, Haley?" She asked.

"I…I'm uh…I'm…" I couldn't even get the words out. I looked up at Nathan with a tear rolling down my cheek, and he instantly knew I couldn't say it.

"She's…we're pregnant. But we're only 17 and we're both elite gymnasts. She's scared out of her mind." He explained, pulling me closer to him.

"Ah, I see. I'm quite aware of you two. Haley, I understand you just won the World Championships title in Rio?" She asked as I nodded. "Congratulations. That's quite an achievement. Anyhow, due to the magnitude of which your career scale is, I'd guess that this pregnancy was an accident and unplanned?" Once again, I nodded.

"She thought she was on birth control. Nobody told her she had to wait a few weeks for it to work effectively. So here we are. They told her at the Olympic trials a few hours ago. She just qualified in first position for the US Olympic Gymnastics team." He beamed brightly.

"Congratulations, once again. What is it I can do for you?" She responded.

"I'm not entirely sure what I need to do. I just thought going to the doctor would be the best thing for me and the baby. I didn't find out until after the trials. I might have hurt it or something." I spoke up, sniffing.

"Alright, I understand. Well if you'd like to lie back for me I'll get you a scan done, and we can check out this baby and how far gone you are. Are you comfortable with Nathan being here?" She asked, walking to a cupboard to get something.

"Yeah, of course. I couldn't do it without him." I sniffed, holding his hand tighter and leaning into his side.

"Alright then, that's good. Now you're still wearing your leotard...that's going to make a scan hard. So do you want to change into this for me?" She requested, holding out a gown that looked to button up at the front. I figured she'd unbutton a few of them in the middle for the scan. I nodded my response before letting go of Nathan's hand and taking the gown from her. "I'll be outside if you need me, okay? Give me a shout once you're done."

I smiled at her slightly before unzipping my warm up jacket and handing it to Nathan to hold. I turned to face away from him while I stepped out of my leotard and warm up bottoms and pulled on the gown, doing up the buttons. This was all so surreal; I couldn't believe it was actually happening. The thoughts were starting to overwhelm me once again, and as I turned back around to Nathan it was clear he noticed the tears.

He pulled me into his embrace whispering soft reassurances into my ear, only making me feel worse. I didn't deserve someone so perfect and kind, when I'd screwed up everything. I'd lost all sense of time what so ever, so when Dr. Song came back, it could've been a month later and made no difference.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, obviously taking note of our embrace.

"It will be. Can we just get the scan done?" I sniffed, drying my eyes.

"Of course. And Haley, I promise you it will all work out." She reassured, squeezing my hand before turning on the monitor and probe. "Could you undo the middle of your gown for me, Haley?"

"Yeah, sure." I did as I was told and unbuttoned part of the middle so she could do her job.

"This is going to be a little cold." I shivered as she squeezed the jelly onto my stomach. "Alright? I know this is a little overwhelming, Haley. And especially at such a young age, but don't ever feel like you're forced into doing something, okay? You've got options." She smiled as she placed the probe on the jelly and started moving it around. The room was completely silent for a few moments; you could've heard a pin drop. Then: we heard it.

The thumping that filled the room, we heard it. The sound made me tear up a little, and I let them fall freely down my cheeks. A smile graced my face as I heard the sound. And not just a fake smile like I'd be using these past couple of hours, a _real _smile. The sound of our baby's heartbeat was the one thing that managed to put a smile back on my face.

I'd won National championships, beaten Genji Cho, beaten Ivanka, beaten Rachel Gatina, gold medals on floor and beam, and even World championships, but _nothing _I'd experienced before could compare with the magical feeling I felt when hearing my baby's, _our _baby's heartbeat. Absolutely none of it mattered in that moment. And although I knew that whatever I did was going to affect my career in huge ways, for a split second I didn't care. And it felt right. I noticed Dr. Wood's smile out of the corner of my eye, as I looked at Nathans smiling face, even he was shedding a little tear as we looked at the screen.

"Well, Haley. It seems that you're about three months pregnant." Three months! Whoa. I hadn't expected to be that far along. "But from what I can hear, the baby's heartbeat seems to be perfectly healthy, and from what I can see it doesn't look like there's any damage." She reassured, moving the probe over my stomach.

"That's our baby." I smiled, the tears falling from my eyes as I looked over to Nathan. We shared a brief kiss before laughing happily at the image in front of us.

"That's our baby." He repeated with a smile.

Dr. Song eventually had to turn the monitor off, so she shut everything off and gave me some tissue to rub the jelly off my stomach with. I did, before discarding of my gown and placing my warm ups back on, as they were the only thing I had. I sat back on the bed once I was changed and held tightly onto Nathan's hand once again.

"Did you want copies of the scan picture?" She asked.

"Please. Just one for each of us." I requested.

"Sure, no problem." She replied, printing two copies of the scan picture and handing them to us. "There you go. Now, Haley, I know this is hard for you, but don't feel like you're being forced into a choice, okay? This is your decision and your life. You've got options. Don't ever feel like you don't. Until you decide what to do, I've got some literature for you to read over about your choices, and I'll need you to do two more things. Increase your diet by 300 calories, and take a prenatal vitamin every day. Oh and no high impact exercise." She explained.

"Noted. Thank you, Dr. Song. For fitting me in at such short notice. And for being so kind to us." I smiled, standing up from the bed and walking to the door.

"It's not a problem, Haley. Just a few more things though. Limited or no caffeine, and if you experience exhaustion, aches, or nausea, that's all normal. Any pain or bleeding though I want you to call me, okay?" I nodded in response. "Good. Book an appointment on the way out Good luck, Haley and you too, Nathan. Whatever you decide, it's your life. You control it; remember that."

I smiled gratefully at her before walking out of the office, towards my car, with Nathans hand intertwined with mine. We got in the car before I pulled out my scan photo and took another look at it, tearing up again.

"That's our baby, Nathan." I laughed slightly.

"I know." He replied, smiling brightly. "Have you thought any more about what you want?"

"Um…yeah, actually. After seeing our baby on the screen in there, it's just so magical. I've had 12 years of winning gold medals and competing for National and World titles. It would've been great for me to go to the Olympics, and I'm devastated that I'm not, but I've got a new life to look out for now. I'm not number one anymore. This one is." I replied, gesturing to my stomach. "I don't have the heart to get rid of it. I want to keep it. I want us to have our baby and live together, happily ever after, right? You want that, don't you?" I asked.

"Of course I do, you goof. I wouldn't want anybody else to be having my baby." He grinned before pressing his lips to mine softly. "I love you, and our baby. Always and forever, right?"

"Always and forever." I repeated with a smile.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Hey guys! :) Only 3 days between these updates, shocking, I know. But I'm SO bored right now I have nothing better to do than to update and try and write the rest of Chapter 40. I don't have much to complain about, lol. Just my selfish inconsiderate little bitch of a sister! She's been winding me up ALL day just pushing all my buttons and I'm just locking myself in my room to stop myself getting into trouble. In other news, it's like 30 degrees here today, omg, I'm melting. But stupidly, in 30 degrees, I decided it would be a great idea to practice my freestyle routines for dance, this was like, 10 minutes, they're about 4/5 minutes each. Me = dead. Anywhooooooooo, you don't even care but whatever hahaha. **

**Review replies:**

**naley12/Zara: Thank you sweet! :) Glad you're enjoying it! Xo**

**G-styler: Well thanks for your review :) Yeah I've been told everything you said before ahahaha. Kinda freaky the timing of your review but it's just coincedence lol. Hope you enjoy this one. :) x**

**jj: I know, I felt bad writing it, but I thought it was a good bit of drama to include! I hope you're not _too_ mad..lol. Enjoy this one. :) x**

**haleydavisbaker: You'll see some people's reactions in this chapter, so I hope I live up to what you want to happen, lol :) x**

**KTxx/Katie: No I was just talking to you and I was like, thinking about how we were talking and stuff and I was like CRAP need to update hahaha. Oh god I know what you mean! It's so pretty and lovey dovey and squee worthy, eeeee they make me wanna die, hahaha! I track doctor who, Amy and Rory, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, hahaha. :P (I track a bunch of others that are OTH/TW/JLS related but yeah). That was really random hahaha, I totally had to make it up 'cause it weren't in MIOBI so I couldn't steal it, lol! It's not easy for the pair of them, but maybe I don't convey it in the right ways, hahahah. They're seventeen, just btw :P But enjoy this one anywhoooo! Love you bb! :) (I felt like I should tell you that, like it's some kind of shock, hahahahaha). xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Enjoy this one guys! :D**

**Chapter 30**

I had once again spent the night at Nathan's after the scan, not wanting to go home and face reality just yet. Reality seemed too daunting to face when we were happy in our own little bubble. Of course I was still devastated that although I had finished in first position at the Olympic trials, and wouldn't even get to compete, the sound and sight of our baby inside of me kind of made up for that. And who knew, maybe this was a sign for us. Maybe this was finally it; the time when we could be together.

The no dating rule at the gym applied to the guys too, but since I wasn't going to be training anymore, and I was pregnant, what choice did they have but to let Nathan be with me? I'd be able to go with him to the Olympics, and watch him claim his gold medal that he deserved, without trying to hide our relationship. We'd be able to share a hotel room, instead of sneaking around after lights out. And most importantly, we'd be able to go to college together, and properly be together, without the worry of being found out.

I knew that eventually, we'd have to go back and face reality, especially since Nathan had training this morning. I wouldn't be able to train, but I knew I had to go with him to the gym and explain myself to everybody. I'd have to tell Tom, and I knew he wasn't going to be impressed, but it had to be done. And I'd have to tell Brooke and Peyton; most likely Charlie would be with them, now that she was competing in the same category as them, and I'd have to tell her, too. I did wonder how they would take it, Brooke, Peyton and I made a promise to each other at gymnastics camp when we were 10 years old that we would all go to the 2012 Olympics _together_. And now that I'd broken my promise, and clearly wouldn't compete in London, I wondered how they'd react.

I guess I was about to find out, as Nathan was just pulling up outside the gym, and it looked as if they were already there. I squeezed his hand and gave him a quick kiss before stepping out of the car and walking to his side, taking his hand in mine as we walked to the door. He opened the door with one hand while keeping his other intertwined with mine, before walking inside with me and letting the door close behind us. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the hell I was about to pay.

"HALEY!" I heard Tom bellow across the gym. "What are you doing!"

"Coach, listen we're –"I was cut off by his shout.

"I don't care. In my office, NOW!" He demanded. "And you, Nathan. Don't think either of you are getting off lightly."

I sighed as we walked further into the gym and climbed the stairs to his office, which overlooked the rest of the gym. We sat down on the chairs in front of his desk, waiting for him to join us. There were multiple pictures on the walls of his office: the National team photos from the last few years; a picture from the start of this year's World trials; a picture of the Worlds team, before and after our wins in Rio. And scattered around the room were pictures of each of the individual gymnasts from Hillview with their medals. It was quite an achievement to have so many medals, but now my career was over, and I'd have to try and explain to my coach why, when he clearly didn't want to know.

I braced myself as he walked into the office, around the desk and sat in his chair facing the two of us.

"Haley, Nathan. Would you care to enlighten me as to what's going on?" He asked.

"We're together. And we have been for a few months." Nathan responded, squeezing my hand under the table for moral support.

"A few months? So you were breaking the rules all that time?" He questioned.

"Yes, I suppose we were. But Coach, please, listen to me. We're in love. And we're so happy together. I can't imagine my life without Nathan. My gymnastics has only gotten better since you told me he was tutoring me, and it's all because of him. He makes me so happy. We're sick of hiding our relationship." I explained, feeling as if I was going to tear up. "But that's not why we're here."

"So what's the reason behind this visit then? And why aren't you dressed for practice?" He was not going to like this.

"Because I'm not training anymore. I'm quitting gymnastics." I explained, taking a deep breath before elaborating on my reasoning. "I'm pregnant."

"You're what?" He looked mad.

"I'm pregnant. That's what the head of the Olympic committee wanted to tell me yesterday." I explained, tears now definitely forming in my eyes. "I was scared to death. I didn't know what to do, and I knew whatever I decided, I'd most likely ruined my career."

"You're damn right, there. I won't lie to you, Haley. You've messed up big time."

"I know. Of course I'm devastated I'm not competing at the Olympics, but I can't kill a baby. Especially not our baby." I looked to Nathan, tears rolling slowly down my cheeks. "I'm keeping it. We want to have our baby. Please, Coach. You've got to understand. We're in love, and someday after the baby's born, we're going to get married."

"Looks like you've got it all figured out. I'm not going to pretend I'm happy about your decision, Haley, you know you're one of the best gymnasts we have here. The best, as you know, in the World. Losing you is going to be hard for everybody, but if you've thought it through and this is what you really want; then I'll try and be supportive of that decision." He sighed. "How could you be so irresponsible, though? That's what I want to know. You're the World champion, and you could've been Olympic champion."

"I don't know. We just wanted to feel like any other teenagers our age for once. And it just didn't seem wrong at the time. I was on birth control but nobody told me it takes a few weeks for it to start working. I'm sorry, okay? I know I screwed up and I know I've ruined everything for myself and I've let my team down and set a bad example for Charlie and all the other younger gymnasts here, but I didn't mean for it to happen. But I won't ever apologize for my baby, we're happy and it's not going to be easy, I know that much, we're only 17 but we'll make it work." I cried, feeling Nathan move closer and put his arm around me.

"Haley, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry if I made you feel like that, okay? I'm just disappointed. I wouldn't have expected it from you." He sighed.

"No, it's okay, I understand. But we just needed you to know, obviously. And seeing as Nathan is still a gymnast here…we kind of needed permission to be together. You know, considering the no dating rule. But obviously under the circumstances it's different to everybody else. And we're happy. We only do better when we're with each other." I pleaded, wiping my eyes.

"You know I can't allow that." He sighed. "But obviously, under the circumstances it is very different, so I think I can make an exception. I'll allow you to be together, but I don't want you flaunting yourselves in front of the other gymnasts training here, okay? I don't want them thinking it's okay for them, too."

"I know, coach. We promise to keep it outside the gym." Nathan promised, rubbing my arm.

"Okay then, you're free to go. Congratulations, to the two of you. Haley, I hope you know how sorry I am for how I came across earlier. It's hard seeing such a talent leave. But I can try to be supportive of you both." He smiled slightly.

"Thank you, coach. Just one more thing, though." I said. "Do you think it would be okay if I still came to practice some days? Not to train or anything, but all my friends are here. And maybe I could help out with spotting and increasing DODs? Plus I don't really see how sitting around the house will be fun."

"I don't see a problem with that. We need an assistant coach anyway, and who better than World champion. I could pay you for it, if you'd like. Give you some money of your own for the baby." He suggested.

"You'd do that for us?" I asked, smiling.

"Of course. Haley, I've taught you gymnastics since you were five years old. I wouldn't just let you drop out of gymnastics altogether." He smiled in return. "You don't have to come in every day, either. As often as you'd like."

"Thank you, Coach. We could really do with the support." I said, looking over to Nathan.

"You're welcome. You could start today if you're that keen?" He suggested.

"That would be nice. And I know they need to be training, but do you think we could talk with Brooke, Peyton, Lucas and Charlie before I start? They're my best friends, and I kind of need to apologize for affecting their futures." I laughed slightly, sighing.

"Of course. Not too long, though. I'm sure you'll be fine." He smiled, as we walked out of his office, hand in hand.

"Round two." I sighed.

"They'll be happy for us, you know that. Lucas might try to beat the crap out of me but I'll handle that." He laughed. "But in all seriousness, why would they be mad?"

"Because at gymnastics camp when we were 10, Brooke, Peyton and I all agreed that we'd be on the 2012 Olympic podium _together. _And now I've broken my promise. I just feel bad because we all promised we'd be there together. I sighed, as we walked over to them.

"Don't feel bad, baby. It wasn't intentional, and I'm sure they'll understand." He promised, placing a light kiss on my lips and walking the rest of the distance to the group warming up on the floor.

"Hey, guys." I smiled, trying to hide the nerves.

"Hey...are you not training today?" Brooke asked, looking confused.

"You're not training?" Peyton repeated.

"How come?" Charlie asked.

"You've barely ever missed a day of practice since you were five, what's going on, Hales? And what did Tom want with you?" Lucas questioned.

"Guys, calm down, please. I need to talk to you." I spoke, using all my willpower not to cry. "Can we just, go outside? Please? I can't tell you in here."

"Sure…but you're making us worried, Hales." Lucas replied.

"I promise, we'll explain everything. Just please, come out with me and don't say anything until I'm done, okay?" I nearly choked on my words.

We walked out of the gym, and sat under a tree nearby.

"Look, before I say anything, I just want you guys to know, specifically you two," I started as I looked to Brooke and Peyton. "That I'm sorry. And I apologize for what I'm about to say and I hope you can forgive me for it."

"Haley, what are you talking about?" Brooke asked.

"I'm pregnant." I choked on the words as the tears started to fall rapidly down my cheeks as they had done yesterday. "I only found out yesterday, after the trials. I was scared to death. I didn't think anyone would understand like Nathan did. I just went to his and told him everything. I understand that I've ruined my career and everything I've worked for, and obviously I won't be competing in London, but I'm happy. Brooke and Peyton, I'm sorry that I broke our promise for London 2012, and Charlie I'm sorry I couldn't be a better role model to you. I feel so awful about it all, but when we were in the doctor's office yesterday, seeing our baby on that monitor was the most magical thing in the world.

"It was better than beating Genji and Ivanka for gold, and I couldn't ever live with myself if I killed our baby. It would be too selfish of me. I can't and won't do it. But please, you guys. You have to see where I'm coming from. I want to keep the baby, but it doesn't mean I'm not scared; I'm terrified. I'm scared that I'll do something wrong or hurt the baby, and I don't want to do that. So I quit. I'm taking a job Tom offered me as assistant coach here, so I'll still be around, but I had to tell you. Please don't hate me." I finished, letting any and all tears roll down my cheeks, before allowing myself to be pulled into a hug by Nathan. I let myself cry into him while he whispered soft reassurances into my ear and dropped feather light kisses on my head.

"C'mon, Hales. They don't hate you, I promise." I heard him say as I looked over to them.

"We don't hate you, Haley." Lucas confirmed, so I turned around keeping Nathan's arms around me, and gave them all a small smile.

"You don't?" I questioned.

"No, of course not. You're our best friend; we wouldn't do that to you." Brooke answered.

"We didn't think our promise would be broken, but it's not intentional. We forgive you for that." Peyton laughed.

"And you're not a bad role model to me, Haley." Charlie spoke up. "I love you just the same as I did before. I still look up to you and admire you, and you're still one of my best friends. Nothing's going to change that."

"Thanks, you guys." I smiled as I leant forward to give them all a hug. "You've no idea how good that sounds to me. I thought you were all going to hate me for sure."

"We don't hate you. I'm not overly happy that it's Nathan you're with, but if he makes you happy, I'll try and deal with him." Lucas laughed.

"Thanks, Luke." I smiled.

"So you had a scan yesterday?" Brooke asked.

"Um, yeah we did. I thought I'd hurt the baby by doing gymnastics, and I didn't want that worry. So we phoned the doctor and she fitted us in within the hour and did a scan to make sure everything was okay." I explained.

"What was it like?" Charlie questioned.

"It was the most amazing thing in the world. I'm not kidding you guys, seeing our baby there just made me realize how much I wanted it. It was better than winning every gold medal and every title I've earned since I was five. There are no words to describe how it felt. It was genuinely the most magical thing I've ever seen. It brought us both to tears." I smiled and laughed slightly at Nathan's attempt to keep that fact hidden.

"So how far along are you?" Lucas asked.

"About three months. Or 12 weeks, however you want to put it. We got a picture, and it's not very clear but it's still there. Do you want to see it?" I smiled.

"Of course!" Brooke exclaimed, as the others laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Here." I passed them the picture of the baby from the scan, and watched as their faces lit up with excitement.

"Oh, Hales. He or she looks perfect already." Lucas smiled.

"That's pretty awesome." Charlie responded.

"She's right, but he or she looks so tiny." Peyton stated.

"She's only three months; of course the baby's still tiny." Brooke laughed.

"Thanks, you guys. But I can't keep you. You have to get back to practice before Tom kills me for keeping you too long. I'll see you in there, okay?" I smiled, hugging each of them in turn before they turned around and walked back into the gym.

"You're so brave, you know that, right?" Nathan questioned, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Thanks." I laughed. "But I was only telling them the truth."

"I didn't just mean that, I meant the whole 17 and pregnant situation whilst being an elite gymnast. I don't think I'd be able to cope as well as you are." He smiled. "I'm proud of you." He said, placing a kiss on my lips.

"Mm, thanks baby. But just wait until after practice, we're going to have to tell my parents. I suggest you phone the ambulance now." I laughed nervously.

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse. My brothers will want to kill you and my dad won't want you anywhere near me."

"I think I'll call that ambulance in advance." He laughed.

**Love it? Hate it? Let me know!**

**Also just a side note - This one was kind of a filler, believe me when I say next chapter = BIG. (Like, BIG).**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Hey guys :) So I'm sorry for not updating sooner but if you've been keeping an eye on the news you'll know the craziness and the terrifying events that have been going on here in the UK over the past few days. Right now, I think everyone in this country is living in fear of their own people, and it's madness. It shouldn't happen and the fact that it is sickens me. Right now, where I live, we're on red alert for being a town that's likely to be looted in the next few hours or days. There's police officers everywhere around the shopping centre and the station, but that doesn't stop me being scared. I'm terrified something will happen, and if it does, I'm going to be one of the first people to know because I live right by the station that leads into the shopping centre. I don't mean to sound like an attention seeker but right now, I need all the faith I can get. I pray for the safety of the rest of this country, nobody deserves this to happen. It's pathetic, cruel and totally wrong. Plus our PM is just...I can't even. His 'statement' that he made this morning after meeting with the COBRA emergency services people all morning, I could've told you that. He repeated everything we already knew, but is he doing anything, no. Bring in the army, that's all I gotta say.**

**Sorry to drag on, review reply:**

**haleydavisbaker: Thanks for your review! I hope you enjoy this, major drama lies ahead for them.. ooh haha. Enjoy :) x**

**Chapter 31**

A few hours later, after practice had ended, Nathan was driving us to my parents' house. I was beyond nervous for him, and for us. I knew my dad would be less than impressed, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect from my mom's reaction. I guessed she'd just be disappointed in me, and I can't say I'm surprised. She had every right to be disappointed, seeing as I was always sweet and innocent virgin Haley. Nobody would ever think I would be the one pregnant at 17.

I knew it would still hurt when they told me they didn't want to know about their grandchild. I knew that they'd say something along the lines of how disappointed they were in me or how I've destroyed my career, nothing I didn't already know. But it still couldn't erase the fact that I was pregnant, and regardless of how much it will affect my career, I wasn't getting rid of my baby.

I took a deep breath as we pulled up outside my parents' house; grabbing hold of Nathans hand as we got out of the car. My parents would be less than impressed, I knew that much. But still somehow, I hoped that they'd want to know something, anything. But I'd been secretly dating a boy behind everyone's back for nearly a year, and now I'm pregnant. So I guess they had a right to be mad, they didn't even know I had a boyfriend, let alone that we'd had sex.

Quinn and Brooke were the only ones I ever told about that. I trusted them, and they didn't tell a soul. I wondered if Quinn's reaction would differ from my parents. I knew she had been supportive of Nathan and me, but she had told me not to have sex with him again. But I didn't mean for it to happen, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just fell for that damn smirk of his, and his beautiful blue eyes; every single thing about him only made me fall more and more in love with him.

Trying to explain that to my parents wouldn't exactly be the easiest task, especially to my dad. My dad has been one of the most supportive parents around of my career, he bought me my first leo and took me to my first practice at tumbling tots when I was three years old. But now to tell him that I had a boyfriend and I was pregnant with that boyfriend's child, wasn't going to be easy.

"You ready for this?" I asked with a sigh as we walked closer to the door.

"I'll be fine. But when your dad gets the gun and your brothers are standing behind him, I think I'll be leaving." He laughed.

"Nathan, be serious. You're not leaving me. I can't tell them without you." I stated, squeezing his hand.

"Of course I'm not going to leave you, you silly girl." He laughed once more, placing a kiss on the back of our entwined hands. "I love you, and I love our baby, too. I'd never leave you for anything else in the world. Nothing is as important to me as you and our baby are."

"Good." I replied, taking a deep breath as I took out my keys and opened the door, walking inside with Nathan right behind me.

"Mom? Dad?" I called out, wondering where they were.

"In the kitchen, Haley." My mom replied.

I turned around in Nathans arms and looked up to him before proceeding to the kitchen.

"I just want you to know, it doesn't matter what happens next. I'll still be with you no matter what and I'll still love you no matter what. Nothing will change my mind about you or our baby." I reminded him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips before grabbing his hand and walking into the kitchen.

"Haley, how nice to see you. You're barely ever home these days. Honestly, Quinn visits more often than you do and she goes to college –"she stopped as she noticed Nathan next to me. "Haley?"

"Yes, mom?" I replied.

"Who is that and why is he in the house holding your hand?" She questioned.

"Can I talk to you and dad?" I asked in reply.

"Why?" She sighed as she opened the window to call out to my father. "Jimmy! Kitchen! Haley wants to talk to us."

"Shall we sit?" She gestured to the table.

"I think we better." I mumbled as I held onto Nathans hand tighter and sat down at the table beside him.

"What is it you want, Haley?" My mom asked, as my dad walked in. He'd noticed Nathan already and he was not impressed to say the least.

"Haley James! Why are you with a boy? Especially in my house, you know you're forbidden from dating." He questioned.

"Daddy, just listen to me." I pleaded.

"Daddy, huh? Guess you're in big trouble if you're calling me daddy." He replied.

"Please, dad. Just listen." I pleaded once more.

"Alright, go ahead. What is it, Haley? You better have a good explanation for this." He looked serious.

"I was flunking algebra last year, so Tom assigned Nathan as my tutor. He tutored me and after a few weeks I found myself wanting to see more and more of him. So I did. He kissed me, and I kissed him back. We were together up until just after National team practice when they announced the team going to China. We broke up, and after about 3 weeks without him, I realized I was in love with him. So I told him. And he loves me back. We're together, and we have been for nearly a year." I explained, looking up at my dad's furious expression.

"How could you? You broke that rule once before and look where that got you! You know why you can't have boyfriends, Haley. They distract from your gymnastics!" He shouted.

"No, Nathan doesn't distract me! He helped me. I couldn't do the double Arabian when I wasn't with him. When I was with him, I could. I performed better when we were together. That's how I beat Genji at the invitational, made the Worlds team, won Worlds and made it onto the Olympic team." I replied.

"No, you did all that because you're a talented gymnast!" He shouted once more. "Please, tell me kissing is all you did?"

I looked at Nathan before looking down, tears forming in my eyes.

"No. No no no. You didn't. Haley, please tell me you didn't." He sighed.

"I'm sorry, daddy." I cried.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it. You're pregnant, aren't you? And that's why you came here. To tell us." He finally worked it out.

"Daddy, please." I got out as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I thought we raised you right, Haley." He sighed.

"You did." Nathan interjected.

"When you were three years old, I took you to your first tumbling tots gymnastics practice. And you didn't want to leave. You hid behind my legs and begged me not to go. And so I stood by your side every day. And then one day, you just took off. My little girl, at three years old, had discovered something far greater than her own fears. You discovered your love for gymnastics." He sighed once more.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry." I sobbed as he sighed again. He was sure doing a lot of that. I looked over to see my mom had a few tears rolling down her cheeks, and she was trying to hide them.

"You need to leave." He stated clearly as he looked over at Nathan.

"Wait." I said, pulling Nathans arm back as he went to get up. "Daddy, please, can we talk about this? Nathan is a good guy. He loves me."

"You too." He spoke clearly. I cried harder as he looked up at me. "Get out of my house."

"You can't do that." Nathan argued. "She didn't do anything wrong. We were in love, and we just wanted to be normal. It's not Haley's fault. Please, Mrs James. Do something." He pleaded, looking to my mom who said nothing.

"Don't bother, Nathan."

"YOU are the disappointment here!"

"Why? because I'm not a little a girl anymore? Because I made a mistake? Because I ruined my career?" I cried.

"Who are you? I don't even recognize you." He stated.

"I'm your daughter, who loves you. And I know this must be really hard for you, but I just need my daddy to hold me and tell me that it's going to be okay." I cried more as he started to walk over to me.

I turned around and pleaded with him to forgive me, to support me, to tell me he loves me, to do _anything _but this, but he just kept walking, shaking his head at me. I cried harder and let all the tears I'd been so desperately trying to hold back fall freely down my cheeks as he left the room and my mom left with him. I cried into Nathans chest as he held me and whispered soft reassurances in my ear as he had done yesterday. Everyone was happy for us, even Tom surprisingly told us that he'd try and support my decision to have the baby.

But my parents, the only people in the world that are supposed to love me unconditionally, had abandoned me. My dad shouted and kicked me out of the house, without even a reason to justify it. And my mom just stood by and let him. He'd set the timer on the microwave and given me an hour to pack before he wanted me out of the house. I tried to pack as many as my things as possible, but an hour to pack up your life and get out was difficult. I'd got a reasonable amount of things, but it's not like it mattered, barely anything would fit in a couple of months. So I picked out mostly loose tops, sweat pants and other loose clothing.

The drive back to Nathans was silent, and the tension could've been cut with a knife. I was trying not to let him see the tears I was trying to hold back, but to no avail. I broke down pretty much as soon as we walked into the house. The reality had just hit me in the face, that my parents had kicked me out of the house and wanted nothing to do with their grandchild, because it was my stupid mistake that made it. Only it didn't seem so stupid then, and now that we knew I was keeping the baby, it didn't seem so stupid now.

I loved Nathan and our baby with all my heart, I truly did, but I wanted to be able to share it with my parents. The two people in the world that are supposed to love me unconditionally, to support me when times get hard and be there for me whenever I need them to be, and they'd wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I couldn't have felt worse if I tried. I knew my tears would subside eventually, and I knew that Nathan didn't like my parents' reaction, but what could he do about it? My parents blamed him for this 'mess' as they so kindly referred to the baby. Of course their innocent youngest daughter would never put a foot wrong.

Except I did, and it had consequences, not just for me but to those around me. And those people were okay with it. They'd vowed to support me and to be there for me, even my coach who was angry that I'd lied to him and broken the rules for over a year and had only told him now that I was quitting gymnastics. Even he had supported me. But my parents could find it in their hearts to forgive my mistake? To accept my decision to keep the baby? To accept that all we wanted was to be a proper family? Well apparently so.

True enough, nothing had been decided yet, but we'd sort something out. We'd find a way to be together as a family regardless of what anybody else thought. And that's what hurt the most, knowing that my parents wanted nothing more to do with me, they'd miss out on everything they were supposed to witness during my life. They were supposed to be happy when I gave them grandchildren, they were supposed to be at my wedding, my dad was supposed to give me away and make my future husband promise to take good care of me before he officially gave my hand in marriage. And they wouldn't be witnessing that, because of a mistake.

Mistakes can be funny things. They can lead to the greatest points of success, without necessarily meaning too. But they can also lead to the lowest points of failure, disappointment and heartbreak, again, without necessarily meaning too. This was one of those mistakes. It broke my heart that our child would grow up without grandparents, because Nathans parents were barely ever around and wouldn't care what happened, as long as their son is succeeding, and my parents didn't want to know.

But maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. The baby would have the support and the love of its parents, as well as its godparents, aunts and uncles, and friends that would be referred to as aunts and uncles although they weren't technically related. Brooke would be dying to give the baby a new wardrobe as soon as we found out what we were having, and Peyton would be insistent on the baby growing up listening to the right music and understanding art. Lucas would probably throw something in there, too and make sure we have the right books. But that's just how it was. And I wouldn't change it for the world, because they were my best friends and I knew they'd be there for me no matter what happened. As would Nathan.

_Nathan. _

The one person in this world I could truly depend on. The only one who, despite all my faults, would love me unconditionally until the end of time. He was my stability, and if I ever needed someone to cry to, to shout out, to nag, it would be him that would be willingly receiving it all. And why? Because he would love me no matter what. No matter what I did that infuriated him, he would still be with me, (well I'd hope so, anyway), because he loved me.

And that was enough to get me through the days.

**So? What'd you think? Let me know!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: So the rioters came, they tried to loot our shopping centre but they failed. They'd boarded up the entrances and had police everywhere, nobody was even able to get past the station :L My cousin picked us up on Tuesday and took us to his house 'cause we were terrified something was going to happen. It didn't in the end, and I feel safe again. :) In other news, this story only has 10 chapters left including the epilouge. Which I'm writing like, now. As well as the start of my next fic. And a fic for Tumblr. I've never written anything good other than OTH so wish me luck with that, ha. **

**Review replies:**

**shelleylovesnaley: Thank you! :) I couldn't agree more with what you said, thank god it seems to be over. I just don't understand what they think they're getting out of burning people's homes and businesses to the ground. David Cameron needs a slap tbh, I despise him. And his stupid so called deputy PM. Why wasn't he doing anything! Pfft, call themselves leaders. Anywho, thanks for the review :) x**

**naley12: Thank ya doll x**

**Chapter 32**

It had been about a week since my parents kicked me out of the house. I'd been staying with Nathan since then, as his parents were away on 'business trips' a lot, he didn't think we'd have to deal with them much. We knew we couldn't afford our own place; we just didn't have the funds for it. But we had plans to get our own place at college, as we wanted our family to be altogether, not in separate dorm rooms. Plus I doubt any college student is going to want to be woken up by a screaming baby. That was the life we'd chosen, but others wouldn't want that.

Yesterday, we found out that Nathans parents were coming home. We were yet to tell them about the baby; we didn't want to do it over the phone. I was dreading their reactions, especially since I was living with them, I didn't want them to hate me. I was just hoping that they would have a better reaction than my parents did. I don't think I could take any more parents hating me.

Word had gotten out somehow that I was pregnant, throughout the gym I could hear people gossiping, and Lucy, the gym manager, had been taking multiple phone calls from outraged parents who claim I set a bad example to their daughters. I didn't really care what they thought me; the situation wasn't as bad as it could have been. There are people who don't have fathers to their baby's, at least I did and planned to be with him forever. Admittedly, it did hurt a bit when I heard the girls gossiping and saying nasty things, but I'd gotten over it. My friends and my boyfriend were happy for me, and seeing as my parents didn't want to know, that's all I needed.

I anxiously waited as I heard a car pull up in the driveway, guessing it was Nathans parents, I took a deep breath and looked over to him.

"What if your parents hate me? The second time I meet them and I'm knocked up. They're going to hate me. They'll think I'm a bad influence and won't want anything to do with me." I got out in one breath, looking over at him as he laughed.

"Haley, they won't hate you." He laughed. "My mom loves you, and my dad, well my dad won't care as long as you don't get in the way of my career. But I love you and that's all that matters." He finished, placing a light kiss on my lips as the door opened.

I didn't know whether I should sit or stand, so when Nathan stood up to greet his parents return, I followed suit. I gave his mom a hug as she hugged me, and smiled at his dad politely as he sat on the couch.

"Is this going to take long?" He asked with a sigh.

"Dad, please. It's important." Nathan replied.

"What is it, honey?" Deb asked.

I gripped Nathans hand before I spoke, as he put a comforting arm around me as if it would calm my nerves, and funnily enough, it did.

"I'm pregnant." I said shakily, smiling slightly. "We want to keep it."

"Oh, Haley, honey, what about gymnastics?" Deb replied, moving to stand in front of me, opening her arms for a hug, which I accepted.

"Obviously I can't do gymnastics anymore, and believe me, I'm devastated." I nodded. "But I'm not going to let it bring me down. It may not be the best timing but I love Nathan and I know he loves me, and as long as we're together, that's all that matters to me. When we saw the baby on the monitor, when I got scanned, I was just overwhelmed by it all. It felt so magical. And I just knew in that moment I wanted to keep it."

"Well that's great, honey. You seem to have it all planned out. Do your parents know?" She smiled, obviously not knowing what happened.

"Actually, mom, Haley's parents are a kind of touchy subject at the moment. That's what I wanted to ask you. Can she move in with us? It's not like we don't have the space, and we can't afford our own place. Plus we're going to college in about 4 months, there'd be no point." Nathan spoke up.

"Well of course she can." She nodded before turning her attention to me. "You can stay here as long as you like, sweetie. You're carrying my grandbaby after all." She grinned. At least she cared, unlike my mom who had said nothing and just let my dad kick me out. "Do you mind me asking what happened?"

"No, it's fine." I took a deep breath before continuing shakily. "They um, well, when I told them, they um, they weren't exactly…happy about it. My dad started shouting and my mom didn't say anything. She just let him shout at me. They um…kicked me out." I stammered, welling up as I recalled the memory.

"Oh, Haley, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I wouldn't have asked." She apologized, wrapping her arms around me again.

"It's okay. I have Nathan and that's all that matters to me." I smiled slightly, through my tears.

"Dad?" Nathan questioned, noticing his father's silence.

"Just don't throw away your career for the kid. She can stay, seeing as she's pregnant with our grandchild." He stated, before getting up and walking out.

"I'm sorry about him." Deb apologized.

"My dad's an ass." Nathan nodded.

"It's okay, really. I don't mind. I'm just grateful that you're letting me stay." I smiled.

"You stay here as long as you need. And don't be doing that grandbaby of ours any harm, eh?" She smiled, "We will have to go shopping, get you some maternity clothes for when you need them, because you will eventually, and maybe we could get to know each other better?"

"That sounds really fun actually" I said smiling before she exited the room and leaving Nathan and I alone.

I curled into his side, wrapping my arms around his torso and smiling brightly at him. The conversation between us was uplifting, and knowing that his mom cared for me and the baby made my decision to quit gymnastics a lot easier. It gave me hope that someone cared, and that I hadn't made the wrong decision by quitting. I was world champion, and I could be proud of that. Sure, it would've been nice to have Olympic gold, but you can't have everything. And I know that now I'd take this over a gold medal any day. We were comfortably talking for hours on end, and we'd eventually moved to his, (well ours now), our room and put a movie on. Nathan had let me choose and I insisted he watch 'The Notebook' with me.

It was my favourite movie and always made me feel better, no matter what mood I was in. Nathan had laughed when I suggested he watch it with me, but when I asked what else he could be doing, he fell short of an answer and reluctantly agreed to watch it with me. He sat at the top of his bed, with me between his legs, our hands intertwined and placed on my stomach. I'd never felt so safe than as I felt when I was in his arms, and knowing there was part of us inside of me, an innocent little baby who was part of me and him, just made my life even more perfect.

It occurred to me once the film ended that we still needed to make an appointment with Dr. Wood as a follow up from my last, for another scan and to check the baby was growing healthily. I asked Nathan to call her and she told us we needed an appointment in about 6/7 weeks, and booked one for us in 7 weeks for my 20 week scan. She said she'd be checking the baby was growing and developing properly, checking the heartbeat, making sure I was eating properly and any other tests she saw necessary. She also told us that she'd be able to tell us the sex of the baby, which got me thinking, we hadn't discussed any names. I knew we had a while, but I wanted to be prepared. And I didn't know if Nathan wanted to know the sex of the baby.

"Nathan?" I asked, still lying in his arms.

"Yes, babe?" He replied.

"Do you want to find out the baby's sex?"

"Um…that's a good question. I'm not entirely sure. It'd be easier to pick out names if we knew, and we'd know what to buy, but I like the element of surprise. Do you want to know?"

"I'm dying to know." I smiled, biting my bottom lip.

"We can find out when we see Dr Wood, if you want too." He smiled back.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would. I'd do anything for you." He placed a light kiss on my lips.

"Aw, you're too sweet." I returned the kiss and stroked his cheek a little, before continuing. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"A little girl. Just like you." He grinned. He was earning himself some major brownie points today.

"That's so cute."

"What about you? A girl or a boy?" He asked.

"Hmm…I don't mind, to be honest. As long as he or she is perfectly healthy and everything goes right, then I'll be happy. I'm just happy that it's our baby. I wouldn't ever consider having anyone else's baby but yours." I smiled.

"Well do you have any names in mind?" He asked.

"Plenty." I nodded. "For a girl, Charlotte, Madison, Gabriela, and Isabella. For a boy, Jayden, Aiden, Anthony, and James."

"Not thought about it much then?" He laughed as I hit him lightly on the chest. "Seriously, though. They're lovely names. I like Gabriela and Isabella for a girl and Jayden and James for a boy."

"Okay, that narrows it down. But we don't have to decide right now." I smiled, leaning back into him.

"Mm, you're right, we don't." I turned around to look at him as he spoke.

"I think I can think of something better to do, don't you?" I smirked, climbing on top of him and attacking his lips.

"Definitely." He agreed, kissing me back.

A few hours later, after yet another intense make out session, his mom had called us down for dinner. I didn't want it to be awkward between his dad and me, but Nathan had assured me he was happy on the inside. It didn't help a lot of things, I was still sure he was unhappy I was pregnant. But we went down regardless of my fears and things seemed to go reasonably well.

After dinner, Nathan had been called back to the gym with Brooke, Lucas, Peyton and Charlie for extra training now that they were on the Olympic team. I took this as an opportunity to see if Quinn was available to talk. I hadn't spoken to her in a while; she'd gone back to LA after Worlds. I doubted my parents would have told her about the pregnancy, they were unhappy about it themselves and probably tried to pretend I wasn't their daughter.

It did hurt that they didn't want to know, but Nathans mom had helped me get over that. She was over the moon for us, as it should be. At least I knew she cared about her grandchild, unlike my parents.

I didn't want to tell Quinn via a computer, nor did I want to tell her over the phone. I did want to tell her in person, but she was busy with college, and Skype was the next best thing. I signed in on my laptop, one of the few things I'd been able to grab in my hour of packing time. I clicked on her name and pressed 'video call', before waiting for a response. She accepted within a minute or two, and her face appeared on screen.

"Hey, Quinn." I smiled.

"Hey little sis. How's it going?" She replied.

"I'm good, thanks. You?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm good actually."

"Good. Have you been out somewhere?" I asked, noticing she was looking quite formal.

"Not yet. Clay's taking me out in a bit. Said to dress posh but didn't say where he was taking me."

"Oh, I'm not interrupting am I?"

"No, not at all. He's picking me up in about an hour, so you're good."

"Good. Quinn, have you spoken to mom and dad recently?"

"Yeah, earlier today actually. Why?" She asked, looking confused as to why I'd ask her, when I was supposed to be living with them.

"Figures they wouldn't tell you." I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I need to tell you something, Quinn. And I don't know how well you're going to take it, but please don't freak out."

"What is it, Hales?"

"I'm pregnant." I smiled slightly, searching her face for any clue on how she was going to react.

"You're pregnant? Haley how could you do that? That's the one thing I warned you about. I told you not to have sex with him again but you did! Haley, do you realize how irresponsible that is? You've ruined your career. You know you won't be able to go back to gymnastics. What are you going to do?" She asked as I sighed. _Great. Another person mad at me for getting knocked up._

"Quinn, calm down, please. I had enough of that from dad. Why do you think I'm at Nathan's? They kicked me out. They kicked me out, Quinn. Their own daughter. Their youngest, their own flesh and blood and they threw me out. And mom just stood back and let him." I choked on my words as I finally revealed all the emotions I'd been hiding this past week to one person I thought I could trust. "They don't even act like I exist anymore."

"Oh, Haley Bob. I'm sorry, sis. I didn't know. I can't believe they kicked you out. Why would they do that? You were always dad's favourite. Daddy's little princess." She questioned.

"Why do you think they kicked me out? Because I'm pregnant, unmarried and ruined my career. But that's what nobody seems to get. Of course I'm upset that I've lost my dream, but nothing will ever compare to seeing my baby on that screen, Quinn. Hearing its heartbeat is more magical than winning all of the gold medals I ever have. I can't get rid of it, I just can't and I won't. He or she is a part of me Nathan and me now, and I couldn't ever imagine getting rid of them for the sake of my career." I spoke as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Well I'm glad you're happy. If this is what you really want, I'll be happy and supportive of your decision. But you have to know, Haley, I've been watching you do gymnastics your whole life. Your dream was to win Olympic gold. And you finally almost got that dream but now you can't have it." She sighed.

"That's my point, I don't care. Well, I do care. Of course, I'm devastated that I'll never win Olympic gold, but having this baby is going to be far more worthwhile than some gold medal. I have plenty of those." I smiled slightly.

"Well as long as you're happy. Is he treating you right? Nathan, I mean."

"Of course he is. He's perfect, Quinn." I grinned, thinking of him. "He's charming, romantic, so damn handsome, and most of all he cares about the baby like I do. And he's a great kisser." I winked, laughing.

"Ew, didn't need to know that much. But he sounds like he's treating you right. Just let him know that the second he puts a foot out of line, there's a whole queue of people waiting to hurt him for hurting you." She laughed.

"He won't hurt me. I promise. He's perfect. I'm in love with him, like, head over heels for him. And best of all, he loves me too. We're going to have our baby, go to college, we're going to get married, Nathans going to win Olympic gold, and we're going to get married. We've got it all planned out." I grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Well I'm happy for you. Look, Hales. I have to go; I have to finish getting ready. Talk to you soon, yeah?"

"Will do. Bye, Quinn. Say hi to Clay for me."

"Will do." She replied as she signed off.

I signed off as she did, and took a look at the time. 8:45. Nathan wouldn't be back for at least another hour, depending on how long he was kept. I remembered that my home-school finals were in a few weeks, and my tutor hadn't been informed of any of the latest drama. I decided to send her an email to update her on my situation, and my new living arrangements.

It didn't take me long to update her, I just gave her my new living arrangements and told her I was pregnant. I didn't expect a reply tonight, so I turned off my laptop and settled on watching a movie. I'd managed to pack a few of my DVDs, and found that I'd brought 'A Cinderella Story' with me, which was one of my favourite movies. I put it in the DVD player and settled down, watching it until I fell into a deep slumber.

**_Please _tell me what you thought!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Hey guys! :D So guess what? I SAW THE GLEE MOVIE TODAY. It was SO good, I really want to go see it again but I'm officially broke. Heather Morris who plays Brittany is really _amazing _in I'm a slave 4U. Wow. She's an amazing dancer too. If I was half as good as her I'd not be worrying about passing my dance exams! And as I write this I'm raving to Jessie's girl, because I am awesome. Anywho, I kind of rewrote a part of this, but I guess you'll never know the original version. Well, my beta will, but hey, you won't ;) Ha. Anywho, I figured that it needed to be done, so I did it. And as for my other fics, I've kind of neglected them for this, ha. I need to finish this and then I can write them both fully concentrated. I'm still no further with 41 and the epilouge than I was when I last updated! **

**Replies:**

**KTxx/Katie: You're the reason I rewrote this! It took me _ages _ahahahaha. I know I already told you that I did but yeah. I realised when I read your review that you were right and I was totally undermining the whole thing, so I added this bit in hoping that it'd make it better. Hope you enjoy this bb! :D Only 8 days left till DW returns aahhhhhhh :D Love ya! :D xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**naley12/Zara: Thank you doll :) There's a tad bit of drama in this which I hope you like still, lol. Anywho, enjoy! X**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 33**

**A/N: This chapter skips about 6 weeks.**

_6 weeks later_

Today was the day Nathan and I had our next scan for the baby. I was now 24 weeks along, and we were able to find out the sex of the baby at the scan. We were both excited, and had agreed that we wanted to find out, and would pick a name for them after we found out the sex. We'd narrowed it down to Isabella or Gabriela for a girl, and James or Jayden for a boy. I'd agreed with him that he or she would have his last name, as I would when we eventually married.

I'd picked out a checked green and white vest top, which supported the bump I was now sporting, and a pair of white leggings to go underneath the top. The bump was reasonably big, and we'd told everyone that needed to know about the pregnancy. Even my brothers, who'd threatened Nathan with death for getting me pregnant, and said the threat wouldn't be just a threat if he ever hurt us. I doubted that he would, and I knew that he loved us both too much to ever think about it.

I'd been going along to most of the training sessions in the morning, helping people out by upping their difficulty level and helping them to execute moves properly. Morning sickness had definitely taken its toll on me, I'd fallen victim to it more than enough times. The slightest things were now making me queasy, including the smell of coffee and eggs. They had pretty much disappeared from the household since they started making me feel ill, and I was grateful to all three Scott's for making sacrifices for me.

Surprisingly, Dan had even made certain sacrifices. He still wasn't as happy as Deb was about the baby, but both Deb and Nathan said he would come around in time. I'd give him the time he needed, I was just thankful that he wasn't shouting in my face as my father had done.

I came downstairs after I'd gotten ready, and kissed Nathans cheek as I passed through into the kitchen to make myself some breakfast.

"Good morning, handsome." I smiled as I passed.

"Morning, beautiful. No morning sickness yet?" He questioned.

"None as of yet. I'm hoping baby is going to let me stay that way from now on." I replied, placing a hand on my swollen stomach.

He got up from his place at the breakfast bar and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind as I reached up to grab the cereal.

"Stop it. We don't want you hurting yourself, do we?" He asked.

"Nathan, I'm fine. I'm just getting the cereal." I laughed.

"Let me make you something. I'm still starving and you need the energy for you and the baby." He smiled.

"Really, Nathan? You can't even cook toast without burning it." I giggled.

"Okay, fine. My mom doesn't think you're eating enough, and she wants you to keep your strength up, fussing over her grandchild already." He laughed, placing his hands on my stomach.

"Well okay then. I suppose she's right, I haven't eaten all that much. I'm just used to my elite diet, barely eating anything but the necessities to keep my body small." I sighed.

"You'll get used to it, promise. My mom's making you breakfast, so sit down and relax." He persisted, taking my hand and pulling me into the living room.

"Thank you, Deb." I smiled as we passed his mom.

"Not a problem, Haley. I just want you to be sure you're eating properly." She replied, making her way into the kitchen.

I lay on the couch as we entered the living room, making sure to leave space at the end for Nathan to sit down with my feet in his lap. He'd grown accustomed to this position now, considering that his mom demanded he look after me properly. I'd merely laughed and made sure he did as he was told. When he walked in, he took his normal position and took my hand in his, placing a kiss on the back of it before placing our entwined hands on top of my stomach.

"Look how big you're getting." He smiled, lifting my top to place a kiss on my stomach. "That's our little baby in there."

"It sure is. I'm getting fatter by the minute I'm sure of it." I sighed, looking down at my stomach.

"What's the sigh for?" He asked, placing another kiss on my stomach.

"I'm just not used to this. I've been told I need to be as small and skinny as possible my whole life. Told not to eat greasy, fatty foods, not to eat excessively and to only eat main meals, with fruit or veg as a snack if I was desperate. Now I'm being told eating as much as I want, whenever I want, and eating whatever I want, and to be as fat as possible. It's the complete opposite of what I've been told my whole life, I'm just trying to get used to it." I sighed once more, pulling down my dress top and stroking my stomach.

"It'll get easier, babe. I promise you, you'll get used to it eventually." He promised, leaning over me to place a kiss on my head.

A while later, Nathan and I were sat on the couch after we'd eaten.

"Can I tell you something?" I asked, sitting up slightly.

"Sure. What is it?" He asked, taking my hand in his.

"I…I'm kind of…I don't know. I mean, I'm excited for the scan and everything. But maybe we're taking this too light heartedly. In fact, we are taking this too lightly. I'm scared out of my mind, and as much as I'm happy, I'm still angry and upset that I ever let this happen. I mean think about it realistically, we've got no money for ourselves, we're living with your parents because mine kicked me out, I'm pregnant, in a few months we're going to college and we'll have to pay for the apartment and everything there, as well as everything for the baby. I don't think we realised how much responsibility comes with this."

"I guess your right…I mean, we've not looked at this properly, have we? We weren't even responsible enough to use contraception but we're having a baby. I'm training full time and I don't have a job, you're pregnant and probably can't get a job for a while." He sighed. "We really need to think this over. Tell me everything you're feeling, Hales. And everything you need to say, say it."

"Well first I'm just…I don't know…I'm angry at myself for ever having sex with you. I mean, I don't regret it, at least not the first time. But the second time I got pregnant and now I probably can't compete again. I've been holding off puberty for years with the intense training I've been doing, and pregnancy is just gonna change everything. It'll change all the things that should've changed years ago that I've been holding off. And if they change, and undoubtedly they will, I won't ever be an elite gymnast again. Elite gymnasts' bodies are almost artificially small and pregnancy changes that forever. I was at the top of my game, I was the best in the World, World champion, but now it's all gone. And I can't ever get it back. And I wish that I could but I can't, and I'm devastated. I know I sound selfish, because this affects you too, and I'm not saying that it doesn't, because it does, but…oh god…we're not ready for this." I explained, tears filling my eyes. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Hey, of course you can." He reassured, pulling me closer. "I know it's harder on you, you're the one who's lost her dream. You know you can't go back, and as much as you try to hide it, I know you, Hales. It's killing you inside. I didn't say anything because I knew you wouldn't talk to me, but I need you to open up. It's okay, baby. It's okay to be scared; it's okay to miss it. You were at the top, and now you've lost it. It's okay, I promise."

And with his calming words, the tears filling my eyes spilt over and I leaned into him, sobbing for the loss of my only dream. The only thing I ever wanted was gone and I would never get it back. Anyone could tell me that it was okay and that it was okay to miss it, but they wouldn't understand. They hadn't lost their dream because of a stupid mistake that should have never been made.

"Nathan, you can say it's okay all you want, but it's not going to make it okay. Because it's not. And it can't be. I'm scared every day that I'll do something wrong or I'll mess it up, and I don't want to do that. I wanted to keep doing gymnastics, and I could have done, but I couldn't ever kill, especially not a life that _we_ created. I just…I don't know what to do; how to feel; how to _act._ I'm scared, Nathan. And I just…I don't know what to do anymore. We're not ready to be parents. We've got no money; we're living with your parents because mine threw me out and gave me an hour to pack; in a few months we'll have to juggle a college with a baby and with your career. It's not going to be possible to do it all. It can't be."

"Haley, I know I won't understand it from your point of view, but we'll figure it out. Nobody ever _knows _how to be parents and nobody is ever _ready _for a baby, but they figure it out. They adjust and they make it work, and so will we."

"Would you just stop?" I questioned, raising my voice through my tears. "Do you not understand this situation? I've lost _everything. _Everything I ever worked for, everything I ever dreamed of, it's all gone and I lost it within a second. Fourteen years of hard work and it all came down to nothing. Fourteen years, Nathan. I've lost it all. And I won't ever get it back! Do you not understand that! I know you're only trying to make me feel better, but stop acting like it's all okay because it's not! It's not okay! And we're not okay! I'm terrified, okay? I'm terrified, I'm angry, I'm upset. I don't know how to look after a baby. I know how to do an Arabian double pike, and layouts and punch fronts, not how to be a mother. I can flip my whole body three hundred and sixty degrees through the air three times in a triple twist at the drop of a hat, but I can't be a mother at seventeen. I'm seventeen, Nathan. What am I supposed to do now? I never went to high school. I don't know what I want to do or who I want to be now. Sure it's hard on you too, I know you'll have big responsibilities as a father but you didn't lose your dream. Tom could've easily kicked you out of there so fast, but he didn't. You didn't lose anything. I lost everything!" I cried, finally letting everything out. I realised I'd shouted a bit too much, but hormones didn't help anything.

I didn't move from my space on the couch when Nathan got up and walked into the huge garden. He'd probably talk to his mom about it all, and I couldn't blame him. I was a hormonal mess, and the last thing either of us needed was this. I picked up my phone when I noticed it ringing, not bothering to check caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered with a sniff, willing myself to keep from crying.

"Hey, Hales. It's me." Brooke's voice came. "What's wrong?"

"Nathan and I had a fight. Well, it was more like me shouting at him, but he's stormed into the garden to talk to his mom." I said, my voice quavering.

"Do you need me to come over?" she asked.

"Would you? I need you, Tigger." I cried.

"I'll be there in five." She said as she hung up.

A few hours later, after having talked everything through with Brooke and cry on her until I couldn't cry anymore, Nathan walked into our room and looked as if he wanted to talk. Brooke squeezed my hand with a smile before walking out and heading home. Once she left, Nathan sat down in front of me, taking his hand in mine and placing a kiss on it. I shuffled over slightly as he moved up and sat next to me, putting his arm around me. He placed a kiss on the side of my head and we sat like that for a while before anyone spoke.

"I'm sorry." I was the first one to speak. "I shouldn't have gone off at you like that. It's the damn hormones. I just needed you to know how I was feeling and I guess the hormones made that very clear."

"It's alright, I get it. I know you didn't mean to be so…Brooke like." He laughed slightly. "I told my mom everything. She said it was natural for you to feel like that because of everything that's happened. And she also said that I need to give you time to get used to it yourself because you're the one that's affected the most. And if that's what you need, I'll give you all the time and space you need. Just please, don't shut me out like that again, Hales. Be honest with me."

"What I need is for you to say that you're okay with this, too. That you love me, and that we'll be okay. That I'll be okay. We'll figure it out together, and we'll get through it."

"I'm okay with it all. I'll support you through it all, and I won't miss anything for the world. We'll both be okay, and you're going to get through this just fine. I know it's hard, losing gymnastics has to be hard for you, I know it's all you ever wanted. But over time, maybe it'll get easier. I mean maybe you don't have to _accept _it fully, but I know you'll deal with it in your own way. And if shouting at me is your way of dealing with it, go ahead and shout at me." He laughed, placing another kiss on my head. "We'll get through this together, I promise. And most of all, I love you."

"Good." I teared up at his words. "I love you, too."

I placed a soft kiss on his lips before we got up and headed downstairs to leave for the scan. Nathan and I were getting two copies of the picture, one for each of us, and Deb was getting a third copy. Dr Song had told us over the phone yesterday that she was able to do that, and would have no problems doing so.

"Ready, babe?" Nathan asked, taking my hand.

"Yeah. You?" I replied.

"Yep." He smiled. "Let's go see our baby."

I grinned widely as we spoke about the upcoming scan in the car, and breathed a sigh of happiness as we reached the surgery. I stepped out of the car, walking to the front to join Nathan, as we walked hand in hand to the surgery reception, giving our names and appointment time before taking a seat in the waiting room. The last time we were here, surprisingly only six weeks ago, I was beyond nervous and seeing all the other women with their very pregnant stomachs freaked me out. Now, six weeks later, and those feelings hadn't changed at all. Maybe I was a little less freaked after our argument earlier, but I was still pretty freaked.

"Haley?" Dr Song called, as we stood up. "Come on through." She spoke as we followed her into her office. I placed a quick kiss on Nathans lips before walking through the door and closing it behind us. "If you'd like to hop on there for me." She gestured to the bed in the corner of the room, which I lay down on with Nathan on one side of me, and her on the other.

I lifted my top as instructed and shivered as the jelly came into contact with my skin.

"Have you been experiencing any abnormal pains? Aches, bleeding, anything of concern?" She questioned, running the probe over my stomach.

"Nope." I replied.

"Okay, good. And you're eating properly, yes?" She asked.

"Um…trying too. But I've been an elite gymnast since I was five. My diet was the complete opposite, eating only when necessary at meals and only snacking on fruit and veg if need be. It's hard now that I have to change it all." I sighed.

"I understand. But please, do try and eat as much as you can. For the baby's sake, as well as yours. You want it to be as healthy as possible. Nathan, help her out if she's struggling." She smiled, as the sound of the heartbeat filled the room.

"That's our baby." I grinned, turning my head to look at Nathan and grinning widely. He placed a kiss on my lips before entwining our hands and looking back at the monitor.

"It sure is." He replied.

"You definitely want to know the sex, yes?" Dr Wood confirmed before looking back to the screen momentarily.

"Definitely." We smiled.

"Well congratulations. It looks like you're having a little girl." She smiled.

"A little girl." I laughed slightly, welling up as I looked over at Nathan. "We're having a girl. Our daughter."

"A little girl, just like you." He laughed in reply, placing a kiss on my lips as we looked back to the monitor. "Isabella. We should call her Isabella. I like it best." He grinned, squeezing my hand.

"Isabella Scott." I smiled. "It's perfect."

"Right, how many copies did you say you wanted again?" Dr Wood smiled as she turned off the monitor.

"Three, please." I requested, wiping the gel from my stomach and sitting up on the bed.

"Okay then." She smiled, moving over to get the copies of the picture. "Now, your due date is around September 9th, obviously, with the timing of the Olympics, you're cutting it quite close. Haley, you'd have about four weeks between the closing ceremony and your due date."

"Okay." I sighed; this pregnancy really wasn't the best of timings. "Am I still okay to fly? I don't want to be alone here on the other side of the world for three weeks, and if I go into labour, nobody's going to be around for me."

"I would strongly advise you not too. But I see where you're coming from. With the position of the baby at the moment, I would say it's safe for you to fly, but I'll need to check again just before you leave before I can give you my full permission, okay?" She explained.

"Okay then." I nodded.

"And before you leave London, I'm going to need you to get a check-up there as well. Just so the officials at the airport don't get fussy over an out-dated doctors note. How long do you plan on being in London for, exactly?" She questioned, as I looked over to Nathan.

"We get a flight out on the 25th July, on the Monday which is 2 days before the opening ceremony, and we get a flight back on the 15th August, also a Monday, after the closing ceremony on the previous Friday. Is that okay? We're not going to mess with the baby by doing that are we?" Nathan asked.

"No it shouldn't be a problem. But flying over five months isn't recommended. But in this case, I can see why you'd need too. It's different from most cases. As I said, come and see me the day before you leave, so I can make sure everything's still okay before I give you the go ahead. That's just over a week from now. I don't usually make appointments on Sundays, but in this special case I can take just one for you. I'll sort that out for you now." She explained as she moved over to the computer and started typing.

"I'm still coming with you." I said, looking up at Nathan. "I'm not staying here on my own for three weeks and possibly go into labour with you. You're going to be there every second I'm in labour with our daughter and I can promise you that right now."

"I know, baby. I just want to make sure it's not going to hurt the baby. If need be, we can stay in London until you've had the baby. It makes it safer to fly." He suggested.

"No, I want the baby born here. Plus we can't cut it that close; we start school on the 10th. What if I don't have the baby by then? We'll come back with the rest of them on the 15th August and be back in time for freshman orientation, and college. I might still be pregnant when we're in college but hey, what can you do?" I sighed.

"Alright then, we'll stick with the original plans. But we're still getting you checked out next week and before we leave London. We don't want to hurt our little girl." He smiled, placing his hands on my stomach.

"Here are your pictures and your appointment card for your next appointment." Dr Wood handed them over to me, and I put them in my bag. "Now, I couldn't help overhearing about college, and I don't think starting freshmen year heavily pregnant is a good idea. I can have you induced, if you'd like?"

"I don't know. I mean, I just want what's best for her. I don't mind being pregnant in college if it means I carry her to full term and don't hurt her." I explained.

"Are you sure, Haley? I won't force you into being induced if it isn't what you want, but it's probably the best option." She said.

"No it's okay. I don't like the idea of it and I'd rather just let her decide when she wants to make her appearance." I smiled.

"Alright then, that's your decision. I won't force you into anything. But if you're overdue by 10 days, I'm going to have to induce you. Is that okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's fair." I agreed. "Bye, doc." I smiled as I got up from the bed and made my way to the door.

"Goodbye, Haley. Don't forget to keep taking your pre-natal and your appointment before you leave for London." She said as we walked through the door.

I took Nathans hand in mine and entwined our fingers as we walked to the car. I leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before I got in the car.

"I don't wanna go home straight away. Can we just sit in the park for a while? It's so nice out and we've got plenty of time." I pleaded.

"Of course we can." He smiled in reply. "I'll even let you drag me shopping, for the baby, if you'd like."

"You'd do that?" I asked.

"Anything for my two girls." He grinned, placing a light kiss on my lips.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: So to quote Kate Voegele, "It's been a week since I heard your voice now, I know it seems like a hundred years", from her song 'Heart in Chains', it has infact been a week since I updated. The lyrics were appropriate because nobody reviewed, lol. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or whatever but I love writing this and I live for the reviews so please please please review, I beg of you. And just btw, not that anyone will care but I'm off to Dorset on holiday tomorrow (god knows how this is meant to work, it's flooded..) and I'm not yet sure whether I'm taking my laptop but I guess you'll know if I update during the week or not until I get back next Saturday. OH and I'm mega excited for Doctor Who returning tomorrow! Eep. OH ONE MORE THING: If you're on the East Coast of America, PLEASE stay safe with Irene due to hit anytime soon. I pray for you all and hope you all stay safe :) **

**Also, I need this question answered: I'm writing the epilouge to this story right now, and I'm kind of stuck on what to do. So answer me this, where do _you _want to see Haley two years later? I can't tell you _yet _what day it's set on because we haven't got to that part of the story yet, but you'll see. Anyway, I have written so far that: Naley are attending college, in the middle of their junior year, with a two year old daughter, and Haley working back to her dreams. Do you want that, or do you want another Naley baby _and _Haley working back to gymnastics? It's your story, I'm completely stuck so PLEASE answer :)**

**Chapter 34**

Hours of shopping and over 10 shopping bags later, we'd abandoned shopping and decided to head home. Nathan had suggested going out for dinner tonight, and I'd accepted. We'd done the entire process backwards, got together, had (well, having), a baby and then going on our first date. So we decided tonight would be our first date night and we would discount the serial date Brooke set up for us due to its terrible outcome.

He refused to reveal where we going, but said to dress smartly. My wardrobe didn't consist of many fancy clothes since I was pregnant, so Nathan had bought me an army green dress made for maternity. Who knew maternity still had dresses that were cute? He insisted I wear it on our date tonight, and still refused to tell me where we were going. He also said to pack an overnight bag, but refused to let on to any information.

I called Brooke over to help me get ready, seeing as she's much better with all that beauty stuff than I ever was. Brooke nearly always did my hair and make up for big meets and competition, ever since we were 10. Everyone got ready in our hotel room in Boston for Nationals 2 years ago; Brooke had insisted we all look perfect, Brooke Davis style, so she ended up getting everyone ready. Lord even knows how we managed to get ready and get to competition on time.

Nathan was out, and Brooke had kicked him out and insisted he pick me up at five sharp once she was finished with me.

"Haley, pay attention!" Brooke demanded, obviously I'd zoned out on her.

"Sorry. Paying attention." I replied, looking up as she applied my mascara.

"You never did tell me, how did the scan go?" She asked.

"It was great, thanks. We've got to go back next week to check everything's still okay for me to fly, but other than that, we're both fine." I smiled.

"So…am I having a little niece or nephew?" She asked, smiling greatly.

"We're having a girl." I said, as she dropped whatever make-up she was holding and threw her arms around me.

"A girl? Hales, that's great!" She squealed, hugging me tightly. "I'm so happy for you. Have you got any names picked out?"

"Isabella. We haven't decided on a middle name yet but her names Isabella Scott." I smiled, stroking my stomach.

"Oh, Hales. It's perfect. It really is. When are you due?" She questioned.

"September 9th." I stated.

"And you're going to UCLA right? You've got orientation on the 2nd right? And your semester starts on the 10th, doesn't it?" She questioned, picking up the make-up she'd previously dropped.

"Yep." I sighed. "I'm due the day before we're supposed to start college. But I don't want to be induced."

"No I understand where you're coming from. I wouldn't want some doctor sticking her hand there and breaking my waters for me."

"Exactly. So I'm just going to leave it and get checked out before we fly from London. Then when we get back, we'll have to start packing up. And I'll have to get checked before we leave for California. I'm just worried with all this flying I have to do that I'm going to hurt her." I sighed.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. She's going to be perfect either way. Look who her mom is." Brooke smiled, rubbing my arm. "Now, close your eyes, I have eye shadow to put on you."

I did as I was told and closed my eyes as she continued her beauty regime, answering any questions she asked me.

"Aren't you scared?" She asked.

"Terrified." I nodded. "I'm so…I don't know…like, angry at myself. I never told Nathan this until earlier but I'm scared to death. And I'm so angry that I let myself do this. Twice. I don't know what came over me. I've never broken a rule in my life, but now I've broken every rule in the book. I can't believe I was so stupid." I answered, letting everything out, tears starting to make their way down my cheeks.

"You're not stupid, Haley. A dumbass for having sex at all, let alone twice, but you're not stupid. You were in love. Love makes you do silly things sometimes."

"I am stupid, Brooke. How could I ever let myself break every rule in the book? Everything I ever worked for is gone in an instant. I mean, after that argument with Nathan earlier, I really looked at everything. This whole situation is insane. I'm seventeen, an ex-elite gymnast and five months pregnant. We've got no money for ourselves other than what Tom's paying me, nowhere we can call our own place, and we're going to have to juggle college, a baby and Nathan's career. Somewhere in the midst of all that; I've got to figure out what I want to do with my life. And I just don't know what I want to do. I never had a back-up plan because I was always going to be an elite gymnast and compete at the Olympics. I knew it would end someday, but I figured I'd make a plan for it after that."

"You'll figure it out. I know you, Haley. We've been friends since we were five when I joined the gym." She laughed. "Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do." I laughed at the memory. "You thought you were better than everyone else before you even competed. You were a bitch even at five years old."

"Hey! I was not a bitch!"

"You so were." I laughed. "But that's not the point. I called you out on it and told you you'd never have any friends if you didn't quit thinking you were superior to everyone. So I told you if you stopped being such a bitch, I'd be your friend."

"And look where that got us." She laughed.

"I wouldn't change any of it, though. I'm glad you're my best friend." I smiled.

"I'm glad you're my best friend, too."

* * *

Brooke had spent hours getting me ready, and I was pleased with the end result. She didn't go too heavy on the make-up; she made it look natural enough for me to love it. She'd left about 15 minutes ago, and I was now waiting on Nathans arrival to the house to pick me up for our date. I'd put my copy of the scan picture in my purse, so I opened it up and stared at it while waiting for Nathan. I couldn't let myself cry at the perfection of the picture, instead I smiled and stroked over it.

I closed my purse and put it back in my bag as I heard a knock on the door. I stood up, smoothed out my dress, grabbed my bag and opened the door. For no reason, the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering at a million miles an hour as I stared at him. He was wearing a pale blue shirt and jeans. He handed me a single rose before placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Hey, beautiful." He smiled.

"Hi, handsome." I grinned in return.

"You look gorgeous."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Thank you. I think." He laughed. "You ready to go?"

"Yep." I responded, grabbing his outstretched hand and entwining our fingers. "Now, where are you taking me? Hopefully, somewhere to eat because your daughter and I are starving." I laughed.

"Well then you'll be glad to know I made us a reservation at that new Italian restaurant in Charlotte." He smiled, walking me to the car.

"Nathan! You didn't! That place is like, super pricey, isn't it?" I exclaimed, knowing what one he was talking about.

"So? My mom gave me the money when I told her what I planned for us. She said you deserve it with all the stress and hard decisions you've made lately. And I couldn't agree more. My girl, _both _my girls are worth it." He finished, placing a soft kiss on my lips and opening my car door for me to get in.

"Why, thank you, Mr Scott." I smiled, getting in the car.

"Anything for you, my sweet girl." He replied as he got in his side.

After 3 hours in the car, we were about half an hour away from Charlotte, and about 45 minutes away from the restaurant. The conversation was stopping and starting, and we were happy sitting in silence. It was comfortable and relaxing. Then I thought of a conversation topic that needed discussing, and brought it up.

"Nathan?"

"Yes, babe?"

"Isabella needs a middle name." I smiled.

"So she does. Have you got any ideas?" He asked.

"I have a few. Isabella is a really pretty name and it's quite rare around here, so I don't want her to have a middle name that's like, popular, as such, if you know what I mean? I want it to be unique." I explained.

"I get it. So what were you thinking?"

"Um I like Maria, Gabriela, Louise and Skye." I suggested.

"Skye. Definitely go for Skye. It's rare and really pretty." He smiled.

"Isabella Skye Scott…I love it. It sounds perfect." I grinned and my grin widened as I felt a little nudge inside of me. "And I guess she does too. Nathan, our baby just kicked." I laughed slightly, as I placed his free hand on top of my stomach.

"She did! Haley, I can feel her. That's amazing." He laughed with me, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Isabella Skye Scott. Our daughter." I grinned, stroking my stomach.

"That's our girl." He smiled, moving his hand back to the wheel.

* * *

After about 45 minutes more in the car, we'd finally reached our destination. It felt a relief to finally be out of the car, one minute more and I may have screamed. Nathan opened my door for me and took my hand as I got out, shutting the door behind me. He grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers, before locking the car behind him.

We walked into the restaurant, hand in hand, waiting in front of the podium to be seated.

"I made a reservation earlier today. Under Scott." He stated, as the young blonde in front of us looked down her list.

"Okay, if you'd like to follow me." She smiled, a bit too brightly for my liking, and directed us to a booth near the back of the restaurant. "My names Kelsey, if you need anything, just give me a shout. When you're ready to order I'll be over."

"Thank you." Nathan said politely, before sitting down on the chair and pulling out the menu. "What?" He questioned, noticing my clearly unimpressed expression.

"She was totally trying to hit on you!" I exclaimed, in a shout-whisper.

"Hales, she's just being nice. It's her job." He laughed.

"I know, but she was being too nice. It's obvious she's trying to get you in her bed."

"No, she wasn't."

"She totally was!"

"Hales, calm down. I only have eyes for one girl and that's you." He replied as he picked up my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. "Nothings ever going to change that, I promise."

"I know." I sighed. "She was still trying to hit on you."

"Haley!"

* * *

A while later, after we'd eaten and paid, we left the restaurant and headed to the next part of our journey. Nathan hadn't told me exactly what I needed my overnight bag for, but I guess I was about to find out. He'd given me a blindfold when we were in the car and told me I needed to wear it until he told me to take it off. I reluctantly agreed and let him tie it around my head, and waited for him to tell me to take it off.

When the car engine stopped running, I figured we'd parked somewhere. I was still wearing the blindfold, so I had no idea where we were, but I trusted Nathan enough. He told me I could take off the blindfold, but even when I did, I still had no idea where we were. But he got out of the car, walked around to my side, opened the door and held out his hand for me to take, telling me that all would be revealed.

And it was. We walked from the back of what looked a very tall building to the front, and instantly I recognised it. He'd brought me to the most expensive hotel in Charlotte. We stayed across from it when we had invitationals and meets here in Charlotte, in the slightly less expensive one, and we'd all admired it from a distance. But he was paying out for us to stay here? It was about $150 a night, yet he brought us here.

"Nathan!" I exclaimed, shocked at his gesture. "We've always wanted to stay here. How on earth did you afford this place?"

"I told you before; my mom gave me the money."

"But I can't do that to her! This place is like $150! We need money for the baby, and college and our apartment and everything else!" I rambled.

"Haley, calm down." He laughed. "We'll still have money for everything. I just wanted to treat my girl to the hotel she's always wanted to stay in. And I wanted some alone time with her before my other girl comes along." He smirked.

"Oh you did, did you?"

"Yep."

"So you brought me here not just because you love me, but because you think you're getting laid tonight?"

"I can't deny that that is also true." He laughed.

"Nathan, I don't mean to be a downer, but I don't want to have sex. I know how stupid that sounds considering I'm already pregnant, but I just…I'm not ready for it. I'm sorry." I sighed in response. "Now come on, take me to our room."

He entwined our fingers once again and led me to the reception of the hotel. He gave his name for the booking, before taking the key card to our room and grabbing our bags. We walked to the elevator and pressed the button for our floor. As we got out of the elevator and walked towards our door, Nathan insisted I wait outside the door until he'd put the bags inside. I had no idea what he had planned but I agreed to his instructions. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before walking inside and closing the door behind him.

He emerged a few minutes later, his shirt unbuttoned slightly.

"Come on then, you can come in now." He spoke, as I started to move forward. "Nah-uh, you're not walking in. Come here." He lifted me into his arms and I giggled as he carried me into the room.

"I guess having the Men's world champion as my baby daddy has its benefits." I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck as he brought me into the room.

"Five months pregnant and still light as a feather." He smiled.

I looked around as we entered, and he put me down. I welled up at the sight. He'd scattered rose petals all over the bed and surrounded the room with candles. He'd gone all out to make the night even more special than it already is. I took his hand in mine and turned around to look at him.

"Oh, Nathan. It's perfect. Everything. All of it. It's all just so perfect." I spoke, a stray tear rolling down my cheek.

"Don't cry, baby." He wiped away the tear and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"I'm not upset, it's the damn hormones." I laughed slightly through the tears. "I'm so happy, Nathan. This is all just perfect."

"I'm glad you like it." He smiled, placing a kiss on my lips. I walked over to the bed with his hand in mine.

"I do like it. I love it. Now, come here, and kiss me." I demanded, covering his lips with mine as soon as he was close enough.

* * *

The next morning, Nathan and I had breakfast in the hotel dining room with the other guests, which was pre-paid. The rest of the guests in the hotel seemed to be a lot older than us, and all looked to be posh business people. We didn't fit in with them, being the only teenagers. But we didn't let it stop us, we were happy and that's all that mattered to us.

I'm sure I heard some snobby business women talking about me, especially about being pregnant and clearly being a teenager, but I just let it slide. I wasn't going to let people like them bring me down when I was happy with Nathan and our baby, regardless of the situation we were in. "Just ignore them." He kept telling me, noticing how wound up I was getting. He had concerns for the baby's health due to my stress levels, but I told him not to worry.

We ended up eating what we wanted, and then left without a word, despite all the nasty comments being made. Nathan reassured me that nothing else mattered as long as we were happy, which we were. So we left without uttering a word to any of them, and ignoring their sighs of relief as we left. We headed to our room to get our bags, before we left the hotel and headed back to Tree Hill. We still had a load of people we had to tell about the baby, and Nathans parents were included in that.

The drive back seemed longer than yesterday, and I hadn't ever gotten travel sick before. But I guess the pregnancy changed that, because I must've made Nathan pull over at least six times in three hours. I was usually used to travelling, what with all the invitationals and national and international meets I competed in, but then again, I wasn't pregnant then. The smell made me feel worse, but I dealt with it and until it was absolutely necessary I tried to hold it down.

When we arrived home, Nathan had insisted that I take it easy and not overdo myself. I wasn't planning on doing a lot anyway, and now I'd probably just spend the day in bed watching movies. I did watch a movie for a while, but Nathans parents arrived home about an hour after we did, so I got myself up and made myself presentable so we could tell his parents.

"Baby, my parents are back." Nathan had said, walking into the room.

"Okay, we're going to tell them, yeah?" I asked in reply.

"Yeah, we're going to tell them." He nodded.

"Okay, then what are you waiting for?" I laughed as I got up and held out my hand to him. He took it and entwined our fingers. "Time to tell your parents they're having a granddaughter."

We walked hand in hand down the stairs and into the living room where Dan and Deb were already sitting on the couch. I thought Nathan had told them to sit there when they came in. I kept hold of his hand and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before we started talking.

"So?" Deb asked. "Are we getting a grandson or a granddaughter?"

"We're having a girl." I smiled, my grin reaching my ears.

"Oh that's great! You must be so happy." She replied, wrapping her arms around each of us.

"I would've been happy whatever we were having. As long as we have a perfectly healthy baby in about 4 months, that's all I care about. But I am happy it's a girl." I laughed.

"Congratulations, both of you." Dan chipped in, before he upped and left.

"Oh don't mind him." Deb said, noticing my reaction to him leaving. "He'll warm to the idea. He just secretly hoped you were having a boy. Now tell me, have you got any names planned?"

"We do." I nodded, looking to Nathan.

"We're having a daughter, and her name is Isabella Skye Scott." Nathan grinned, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Oh that's adorable! It's very pretty. And it's nice of you to use our last name, Haley." Deb replied.

"It's no problem. Nathan and I want to get married eventually and I wouldn't want our child to not have the same last name as we did." I replied.

"Are you going to practice tomorrow?" Deb asked.

"Um, Nathan is, obviously. But I don't know yet. Why?" I asked.

"I'll take you shopping and we can get some things for the baby. Obviously, I know you're getting your own apartment when you go off to college, but I still want a room for our darling granddaughter here." She replied.

"That sounds great, Deb."

**So what you think? PLEASE review :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: I'M BACK. Not that any of you will have missed me, but whatever, I thought I'd let you know. I had a lovely time on holiday if anybody cares, the weather was great and it was just so perfect, I loved every minute of it. The beach was just like, a beach from Spain or something it was perfect. I took this picture of it from where I was standing drying off, (I couldn't do much else, my sister pushed me into the sea with my clothes on and I was soaked. I had to sit on plastic bags in the car on the way back 'cause my mum didn't want me to get the seat wet and sandy, lol), and posted it on Tumblr :) And now I'm back I've got about 15 MIOBI confessions to make and post on there, wish me luck, ha! Also, my best friend just offered to sign up to O2 Priority for me so I can get tickets to see JLS in concert next year. I'M SO HAPPY I COULD BURST. :D**

**So I only got one review last chapter, but I'm getting loads of hits on this, so please please please, if you read this, PLEASE REVIEW. I don't bite, honestly, and if you like I'll even send you a preview of the next chapter. (The next one happens to be one of my favourites).**

**naley12: Thank you for your review :) I know I thanked you on Twitter already but again, thanks sweet! :) xo**

**Chapter 35**

_A week later_

I opened my eyes slowly and reached out my arm to the side of me. I felt Nathan beside me, and I turned my head to look at him as he did to me. He turned onto his side and placed a light kiss on my lips. I stared into his eyes for a few moments before he spoke.

"Good morning beautiful." He smiled.

"Good morning, baby. Are you excited?"

"More nervous than excited." He laughed.

"You've no need to be nervous. You're going to be great, I know it." I smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, baby. What times your appointment with Dr. Song?" He asked.

"Um…" I thought. "Not till 11." I confirmed, picking up my appointment card.

"Alright. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Of course. Any excuse for us to see our daughter." I smiled.

"Any excuse." He agreed, kissing me lightly.

* * *

A few hours later, and we were now in Dr Song's office, waiting for her to set up the equipment. I sat on the bed, leaning into Nathans side as she did so.

"Alright, babe?" He whispered into my ear, placing a kiss on the side of my head.

"Mm. I'm fine." I smiled.

"Nathan, if you could just hop off the bed for me. And Haley, just lie down for me. You know the drill." I did as instructed and lie back on the bed as Nathan moved off it and sat on the other side of me, taking my hand in his.

She started the scan as normal, squeezing the ice cold gel onto my stomach, before moving the probe across it and detecting the baby's heartbeat. It never got any less magical hearing the sound of our baby's heartbeat filling the room. I smiled at the sound and looked across to the monitor.

"Well it seems baby is still in a good position, you should be okay to fly tomorrow. You're aware they don't ask about pregnancies when you book the tickets, but obviously, your bump is noticeable enough for them to be able to question your due date. You'll need to give them the note I'll give you, which will state your due date and confirm that you're unlikely to go into labour in the next 72 hours. I doubt you are anyway, as you're only 25 weeks, but nothing can ever be certain. So I'll just need to examine you, is that okay?" She explained.

"Yeah, do what you have to do." I agreed.

"Okay, no pain here?" She pressed on one side of my stomach as I shook my head. "Good. Here?" I shook my head again as she pressed on the other side. "Good."

She continued with her examination for about 20 minutes, before she said she had no concerns and wrote out the note for us. I took it from her and thanked her for coming in on a Sunday for us, before taking Nathans hand and walking out of the surgery.

* * *

"Are you all packed for tomorrow?" I asked as we pulled up outside the house.

"Um…" He trailed off.

"Nathan! Come on, I'll help you. You'll never get it done if I leave you to it." I sighed, walking inside.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"You would be if I didn't ask you!" I exclaimed, walking up the stairs and into our room. "Right, where's your suitcase?" I asked, looking around.

"It's downstairs. I'll get it; I don't want you hurting yourself." He replied, going downstairs to get it. He brought it back up within a few minutes, and placed it on the bed. I sat down on the chair by his desk and gave my input to his packing. He wasn't packing for 10 minutes before he complained. "This is boring. Can't I just kiss you instead?"

"Not until you get it done. Tell you what, if you fill that suitcase and finish packing in the next hour, I'll let you do whatever you want to me. Within reason; remembering that your parents are downstairs." I smirked.

"Forget my parents. I'll lock my door." He spoke. He came over and stood in front of me. I leaned forward and placed a light, gentle kiss on his lips before whispering onto them.

"One hour. This is to keep you going." I whispered, placing my lips on his again before pulling away as he kissed me back. "Nope, none of that until you're finished. Time's ticking."

"Haley, come on." He whined.

"Don't start whining, you're wasting your own time by doing that." I replied. "What are you waiting for? Best get packing."

And with that, he was pulling any and everything out of the wardrobe and putting it into the suitcase. I watched in amusement as he tried packing, and not doing a very good job of it. I decided after 15 long minutes of watching him suffer, that I'd help him out.

"Come here." I laughed, taking everything he'd thrown in the case out of it and folding it neatly before placing it back in. "You're hopeless."

"I was just trying to get it done quickly enough. I really wanna kiss you." He smirked, trying not to laugh.

"Well let me finish packing for you and I'll let you kiss me." I said.

"Can do."

* * *

Later that night, the whole house was asleep. We had an early flight so we'd headed to bed earlier than normal, but I guess Isabella didn't want to sleep. As soon as I fell asleep, she started to kick again, and I was unable to sleep after that. I had a sudden weird craving to eat as well, so sleeping just didn't seem like it was going to happen. I sighed and got out of bed, pulling my dressing gown around me and stroking my ever expanding stomach as I walked down the stairs. I tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake the rest of the house. I sat in the kitchen for a moment, before I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. _Crap, _I thought as they came closer.

"Haley?" The voice asked from behind me.

"Um, yeah, it's me." I turned around to see none other than Dan Scott standing behind me. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, it's fine. What are you doing up so late?" He asked, taking a seat next to me.

"I guess Isabella doesn't want to sleep." I laughed slightly, placing my hand on top of my stomach. "She started kicking harder as soon as I fell asleep. And I kinda got hungry, too."

"Do you mind?" He asked, moving his hand to my stomach.

"No, of course not. Here." I said, replacing my hand with his.

"Wow. That's pretty cool." He smiled, moving his hand.

"Yeah, I suppose it is. But not when you need sleep." I laughed slightly.

"Did you want something to eat?" He asked, getting up and walking to the fridge.

"Would you mind?" I replied, slightly embarrassed.

"No, of course not." He smiled slightly. "What would you like? I can make you scrambled egg if you'd like?"

"That would be great, thank you." I smiled as he set about cooking it.

"There you are." He placed the plate in front of me a few minutes later.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott." I replied, picking up my fork to start eating.

"No problem. And please, call me Dan." I nodded in reply. "So, how long have you been with Nathan?"

"Um…nearly a year, I think. He was tutoring me in algebra and I just kinda fell for him."

"And he's treating you right, isn't he?"

"Of course he is. He's perfect, really. He's been so supportive of me and the baby, and he's been there for me since I found out. He treats me like a princess, and I love it and I love him. I'm honestly so in love with him, I never thought it possible. And he loves me, too. And he wouldn't ever pressure me into something, which is nice after a previous experience."

"I'm glad to hear it. Do you mind me asking what you mean by previous experience?"

"Um, no, I guess. It's fine. Basically, I did have another secret boyfriend, from my 15th birthday until the party after Nationals. Ethan. I thought he loved me, but he…um…he…" I trailed off; it was still hard to talk about it, especially to an adult.

"You don't have to tell me, Haley."

"No it's fine. I've got to do this sometime. He tried to um…he tried to rape me, basically. I got away before he could but I took time off from gymnastics for a while to get my head straight. I was scared that when I fell in love with Nathan he wouldn't feel the same way or he'd do what Ethan did to me, but maybe he'd succeed. But he proved me wrong and I've never been happier." I smiled slightly.

"Haley, I'm so sorry to hear that. I didn't know." He said, placing a hand on my arm.

"No, it's okay."

"And you've been doing gymnastics a while, haven't you?"

"Yeah, since I could walk. I entered tumbling tots when I was three, and I loved it. I started taking it seriously and joined Hillview officially when I was five. Then I went elite at 10. I competed at Nationals every year since I was 10. I never thought I'd beat Brooke for all-around title, but then I did and I never felt better. I competed in most of the big meets for the National team, but they took Peyton to China, and not any of the other Hillview girls, so that's why Tom called the invitational against them. I managed to pull off a triple twist dismount on my beam routine and beat Genji Cho for gold, and then we proved to the National committee that we were better than they gave us credit for.

"Then I made the World team, and competed in Rio. Obviously, as you probably already know, our first day was shockingly bad, we were all distracted, so we knew we had to pull it out of the bag in the finals. Then Peyton hurt her ankle, and stuck her landing on one foot because she had to medal to get the rest of her sponsorship money so she could pay for college. Then I competed on floor and managed to pull us up past China into first position for team gold, I won all-around finals, beating Genji and Ivanka for gold, and then beat them again on floor for gold in event finals. So I got three gold medals in Rio, silver on beam behind Brooke, silver on bars behind Genji and a bronze on vault behind Rachel for silver and Genji for gold." I smiled, listing my accomplishments.

"That's quite a résumé you've got there." He laughed.

"I finished first at Olympic trials as well, but they took away my spot on the team when they found out I was pregnant. Naturally, I knew they would, but it doesn't mean to say I wasn't hurt when they did so."

"Do you ever miss it?"

"Of course. Every day I'm at practice, I wish I could be training instead of coaching, but I know now that I can't go back. I wish I could, but I can't. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Nathan and I love our baby, I really do." I smiled, looking down at my stomach. "And I would never regret keeping the baby, but sometimes it's just hard for me to accept that I've lost my dream. And although I got most of it, the one thing that I wanted more than to be National champion or more than to be World champion, was to be Olympic champion, and now I'm not going to get that chance. It's my own fault, I know, but some days, I just wish I could go back and change things."

"Well I'm very proud of you, Haley. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, by telling your coach, your parents, us, the national committee, and everyone else that you're pregnant, you did an incredibly brave thing. And you're still so young, but you're handling this as an adult, and I'm very proud of you for it." He smiled.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"It's not a problem. And you're welcome to stay here as long as you want, don't ever feel like you don't belong here. You're family now, Haley. Family stick together."

"I know. And I appreciate everything you're doing for me, by letting me live here and Deb giving the baby the spare room, it's really kind. I'm grateful for everything, I really am. I just wish that my parents were as supportive as you guys are. I kind of always imagined that they'd be happy about their grandchild, that they'd watch them grow up and tell me what I great job I was doing as a mother and try to help me out when I wasn't so great. But then I didn't imagine I'd be 17 and pregnant." I was starting to well up now that I was letting everything out.

"I understand. But listen, Haley, if you ever want to talk, don't hesitate to ask. I've no doubt Nathan will marry you someday, and you're having my first grandchild, so I'm always here for you. Just let me know if you want to talk. I'm never too busy for family." He smiled, placing a hand on my arm.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott. Dan, sorry." I smiled nervously. "It means a lot to me that you care. And thank you for letting me stay here. You didn't have to let me."

"No, but it would be very cruel of me to say that I wouldn't let you stay. I couldn't kick out a pregnant girl, let alone my future daughter in-law who's carrying my first grandchild." He laughed.

"Well, thank you anyway. And thank you for the food." I smiled, looking at my empty plate.

"You're welcome, Haley. For everything. Now go on, see if you can get to sleep. We've got a long flight tomorrow and you'll need all the rest you can get. Anymore trouble, you know where I am. Goodnight, Haley." He smiled.

"Goodnight." I smiled in reply, before getting up from my seat and walking up the stairs.

**love it? hate it? let me know!**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Hiya guys! I didn't exactly plan on updating today, but circumstances are forcing me too. I'm going to see my father tomorrow, third time since we started talking again...I'm not really sure what to feel, to be honest. But he's getting me tickets for JLS so I can't complain(a). And then the best thing ever, I'M GOING TO SEE KATE VOEGELE TOMORROW NIGHT. EEP. I'M SO EXCITED. If anyone else is going, let me know! **

**I happen to really love this chapter, so PLEASE review it! And after you've read it, tell me what you want to see in the epilouge, because I'm writing it as we speak and I can finally ask you what you want to see because what happens in this chapter kind of leads up to the epilouge, so yeah. Let me know what you want! :) AND PLEASE REVIEW. I don't mean to whine, but I'm only getting like 1 or 2 reviews and a bunch of hits, so PLEASE review if you read! I'll love you forever.**

**Replies - **

**naley12: thank you :) I'm glad you like it! Hopefully you'll enjoy the further development of their relationship in this chapter, it's a biggen :) Thanks for reviewing, please keep doing so! X**

**othfan1919: hiyaaaaa ;) hahaha:) I know you love it, you tell me that every time I send you a chapter! I know you love this chapter, it's one of my favourites, yay. :D So glad we went for this version...but they'll never know about the other version...until chapter 40. hehehehe ;) love you long time! thanks for the review oh so wonderful beta slash best friend :) xx**

**Chapter 36 **

A few hours later, it was time to get up and get to the airport for our flight to London. The flight in total was around eleven hours, and we would land around 10:30am their time. It was non-stop flight, and we wouldn't have to change airlines or planes before we got there.

I hadn't gotten any sleep last night; I was up for a while after my talk with Dan and then up for the rest of the night for no reason. I just couldn't sleep, I didn't know why; Isabella had stopped kicking so hard and so frequently, but I still felt restless and uncomfortable. My lack of sleep was going to affect me big time during the day, and hopefully I'd manage to get some sleep on the plane.

I got up and went downstairs with Nathan to get some breakfast. I didn't actually feel like eating anything for breakfast, but I had to eat, if only for the baby's sake. Plus it would sure save me the hassle from Nathan, Deb and Dan insisting that I eat to keep my strength up. I didn't feel like I had any strength left in me, the pregnancy was taking its toll on me now I was getting further along. My body frame was tiny before this, and now it has to adjust itself to cope with pregnancy, something which was harder for me than somebody not in gymnastics.

I ate the food put in front of me, hoping they wouldn't notice that I was eating only for the sake of the baby. Once I finished, I went upstairs to get myself ready for the drive to the airport and then the eight hour flight to London. I decided on a simple cami top with added support for the bump, and a pair of sweatpants, as I wanted to be comfortable as I could. Planes were hard enough to get comfortable on, add in a teen pregnancy to that and I'll probably be uncomfortable before take-off. I couldn't complain, though, we were going together, Nathan and me, as a family, and I wouldn't be left behind.

I came downstairs once I ready, with my hair tied in a loose messy bun on top of my head, to get it off my face, and stood at the door with Nathan while his parents did a final check of the house to be sure they hadn't forgotten anything. I took his hand and leant into him, as he wrapped his arms around me so we wouldn't fall. He occasionally placed kisses on the top of my head, and stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. All of the franticness around us seemed to be forgotten and it was as if we were the only two in the world. We resumed the position once in the car, Nathan sitting in the back with me while his parents were in the front.

"Are you alright, babe?" He asked, as I leant into him once more.

"Mm, I'm fine, just tired." I replied, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Why? Did you not get enough sleep last night?"

"Try no sleep. The baby kept me up half the night and once I tried to get back to sleep I just couldn't. I don't know why, but I just couldn't sleep." I sighed.

"Aw, babe, you should've woken me up. I'd have stayed awake with you, held you and cuddled you if that's what you needed."

"No, it's alright. I didn't want to wake you up; you needed the rest more than I did. Plus you looked so peaceful I couldn't disturb you for the sake of me not being able to sleep."

"You're sweet, but babe, I don't care about anything more than I care about you and our baby. I promise you that. Wake me up at two am for all I care, I'll be there for you." He smiled, placing a kiss on the back of my head.

We stayed like that the whole journey to the airport, and somehow I felt my lack of sleep didn't matter, because if he had his arms around me, I felt safer and a lot more comfortable. As long as Nathan was beside me, maybe the torturous eleven hour flight ahead of us wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

A few hours later and we were sitting in the flight lobby, waiting to be told we could board the plane. We'd met up with the rest of the teams, Tom and any parents coming along, but had split up once we were past security. We had hours to kill, and different people wanted to do different things. All the parents had gone to a coffee shop, probably to sit and gossip about their children, whilst Nathan and I just walked around a few shops and got some sweets for the flight, hard boiled ones for take-off, as they were supposed to prevent your ears popping, and some chocolate for the rest of the flight.

After a few hours, our flight was called over the tannoy system, and said we could wait in the lobby for it to be ready for boarding. We'd met up with everyone once more, and got out our tickets to show on request.

There were so many of us, it was a wonder how any of the other passengers on the plane managed to get on. I thought we'd need a whole plane for the amount of us going. First, there were the six girls on the Women's Olympic team: Brooke, Peyton, Charlie, Rachel, Ciara and Alexis, along with Alicia and Jessica as replacements in case someone got sick or injured. That was the artistic gymnastics team; there were another six girls for the rhythmic gymnastics team, and their two replacements; the six boys on the men's gymnastics team, including Nathan and Lucas, and their two replacements. And that was only the gymnasts. Then all the staff (people like me and Tom) then some of the parents who wanted to come along.

We sat in the flight lobby for a while, waiting to be told we could board, when I started talking to Nathan.

"Nathan, can I tell you something?" I asked, looking up at him. "And you'll promise you won't laugh or anything?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I'm scared to fly."

"What, why?" He asked.

"I don't know. I've never been scared before. I fly everywhere for all the big meets and competitions, like Nationals and Worlds and all that, and I've never been scared before. Maybe it's just my hormones but I'm just scared." I sighed.

"Aw, baby, come here." He pulled me into his side, wrapping his arms around me. "You're going to be fine. We're all going to be fine. I promise." He said, planting a kiss on my forehead, and holding me closer to him.

"You always know what to say. It makes me feel so much better." I smiled, looking up at him.

"I'm glad to hear it." He replied.

We were soon told we should start boarding the plane, and I held tightly onto Nathans hand as we did so. The original seating plan for the plane journey hadn't enabled us to sit together; Nathan was paired with Ciara, while I was paired with Brooke. Brooke had willingly switched tickets with Nathan, so she was now sitting with Ciara, while I sat with Nathan. But we all knew nobody would stick to the original seating plan. Everyone always switched regardless. But before we boarded Tom approached us and handed me two first-class tickets.

"I figured I would give these to my top gymnasts, Nathan you need to have a comfortable flight so you don't stiffen up being our top male competitor and Haley with you being pregnant these seats will be better on your back and hopefully you will be able to get comfortable. And since we practically bought every ticket on this flight we ended up with them."

"Thank you so much Tom" I said giving him a hug.

Nathan shook his hand. "Yeah thanks, I was worrying about Haley and the seats, this is a blessing."

So I was now sitting with Nathan, whilst Peyton and Brooke sat together, as did Lucas and Julian, Charlie and Chase, Alexis and Jessica, and Ciara and Rachel. Everyone sat in their seats with their belts on and window blinds open, ready for take-off. In first class we had surprisingly gotten a complementary meal and the seats were god for my back.

* * *

As expected, the flight went smoothly enough, and apart from my sickness during take-off, it wasn't all that bad. I threw up a few times, and it had taken more than enough convincing the air staff that I would be fine. The landing hadn't been so bad; my stomach felt as though it was doing flips, and I'd resorted to rubbing it every time that it did as if it would prevent it.

We landed smoothly on English turf at 10:00am, on a runway at Heathrow's Terminal five, half an hour earlier than expected. It hadn't taken us long to identify our luggage, so we made our way to the awaiting travel arrangements with the rest of the group, deciding who would go where. We had two coaches of people, gymnasts in one coach, and the accompanying parents/guardians/anyone else who had come along in the other. It was agreed by Tom that I was able to stay with Nathan throughout the trip, as he was quite supportive of us. We were staying in the Olympic village, just across from the stadium we would be competing in. We were basically living in a rent-free apartment for two and a half weeks.

We were one of the lucky ones; we had an apartment to ourselves while the rest were occupied by at least three to four people. The Olympic village would house over 17,000 athletes this summer, and would sell them on to people who could afford them after the games. They were quite luxury apartments, when you looked at them. And the best part was, the Olympic committee paid for it all. Sure, we had to pay for the flight to and from London, but at least we weren't shelling out thousands more for an apartment we would be in for over two weeks.

Nathan grabbed our luggage from the bottom of the coach as we arrived outside the village, and we walked towards the apartment we were told we'd be sharing. The list was posted just before we left, during practice Tom had assigned each apartment allocated to the US gymnastics teams to its owners for the two weeks, and posted a list of who would be staying where. I hadn't taken much notice to where the others were staying, I was happy enough to be with Nathan and that was that.

We reached the housing officer for the games, who welcomed us to their country and their city, before handing us the key to our apartment, and giving us directions to the apartment. I held the map he had given us to follow, and lead Nathan towards our apartment.

"This is it." I said, as I stopped outside the door. "You ready?" I looked to Nathan as he brought the luggage to the door, and put the key inside the lock, turning it to open the door. We walked inside and admired the modern design of the spacious apartment, entwining our hands as Nathan shut the door behind him after bringing our luggage inside. "Wow." I breathed out; looking around at the space we would be calling home for the next two and a half weeks.

"It's perfect, isn't it?" Nathan smiled.

"It is. Come on, I wanna see everywhere else." I grinned in return, tugging on his hand and leading him around the rest of the apartment. "This is the best and most important room of the place." I threw him a cheeky smile with an added wink as we walked into the bedroom.

The room was spacious, as was the rest of the apartment, with a hardwood floor. The bedframe was made of black metal, with a white mattress, duvet and sheets with a pink throw on the end of the bed. The bed was surrounded by four white curtains; each tied up at the moment but would be untied later, with pink and white pillows on the bed.

"What do you think?" Nathan asked, standing behind me with his arms around me.

"I think that it's perfect." I replied, turning around in his arms and placing a soft kiss on his lips. "And I think it looks very comfortable, you willing to try it out with me?" I smiled seductively, adding a wink for extra cheekiness.

"I think that sounds good to me." He replied, crashing his lips on mine and leading me backwards to the bed.

* * *

A while later, the two of us were sitting together on the couch. We had no plans for the day, as the opening ceremony was still two days away. Nathan would be training the day before the ceremony, but had the rest of today and all of tomorrow to spend with me. I was grateful for the time that we had together, and knew that it would be a rare opportunity whilst we were here, as he would be training pretty much every day to make sure he had the best possible chance at winning the gold. I knew he could easily do it in his sleep, but I knew the importance of training and adding in final moves to your routines, making sure you could pull them off without a hitch.

It was still only 11:45am, yet we had no plans for the rest of the day. I was comfortable enough where we sitting, but I knew we couldn't spend all day there.

"Haley, baby?" Nathan asked, looking down at me.

"Mm?" I replied, feeling his eyes on me but making no attempt to look to them.

"What do you say we get out of here and go sightseeing? We can go for lunch in the city, and look at all the great landmarks." He suggested.

"I think that sounds great. We'll get dressed and go now, yeah?" I asked.

"Okay, sounds good to me." He smiled, as we moved off the sofa and into our room.

I walked over to the suitcase that we had yet to unpack, and tried to bend down to open it. Nathan found it hysterical that I couldn't bend down with my bump in the way, so I slapped him for laughing and he soon didn't find it as funny. He pulled the suitcase onto the bed, and opened it for me. I gave him my thanks before pulling out a set of underwear, top and white jeans. The top was pink in colour, with a brown ribbon wrapped around it, just on top of the bump. It had short sleeves, which were long enough to cover my shoulders and the top of my arms. Once I was dressed, I pulled my fringe back and clipped it in place to keep it off my face, leaving the rest down and flowing past my shoulders.

"You ready to go?" I asked, standing in front of Nathan.

"Yeah, I'm ready. You got everything?" He replied.

"Got it. Come on." I smiled, taking his hand and walking out of the apartment.

* * *

We got a bus to the city, as we were on the outskirts of it, and sat in a café along the river Thames for lunch. We got a few looks, considering my ever expanding stomach was now clearly obvious, and it's not every day you see the World champion with an Olympic gymnast, especially not a pregnant World champion. Nathan politely told them to stop staring; I wasn't so patient with them. By the time the fifth girl looked at me funnily, I told her where to stick her snobby British attitude. Nathan had laughed and said it was hot, but I was mortally embarrassed. We left soon after, walking hand in hand through the city of London.

We'd walked across Tower Bridge, and were now at the top of the London eye. I sat on the seat in the middle of the pod, the view across the city was wonderfully beautiful, but after a minute of looking and taking it all in, I started to feel a bit sick. Nathan had taken a few pictures from my camera for me, before taking a seat next to me and rubbing my stomach.

"She kicks harder whenever you're around." I smiled.

"Daddy's little girl already." He laughed. "I'm going to spoil her rotten."

"No you're not. We can spoil her together, but only occasionally. I don't want her to grow up thinking she gets everything she wants at the snap of her fingers." I replied.

"That's what I meant." He smiled. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is. There's no one I'd rather share it with then you." I replied, leaning up and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"And the same goes to you. You, me, and our baby; that's all that matters now. We'll get through college and we'll graduate with our beautiful daughter. She can come to all the competitions. Right by your side." He smiled, returning the kiss.

"I can't wait." I spoke. "In little over four months, we're going to have our own little baby." I grinned.

"Our baby girl." He agreed. "I have to tell you something, I didn't want to tell you if it didn't go through and you be disappointed and I just found out yesterday. I called the head of UCLA, and explained our situation. Obviously, you wouldn't be able to fly out there anyway, even if you had the baby on time to start the semester. Isabella shouldn't fly until she is at least six months old, plus you would have just given birth. They spoke to our doctor, to confirm that I wasn't making it up, why someone would do that in the first place is beyond me, but whatever. So after he spoke to Doctor Song, he said he'd call me back, and he did."

"What'd he say?"

"He convinced the head of NCAA scholarships to transfer my scholarship to Duke, and your grades managed to get you a full scholarship to Duke, too. We'll be attending there in September, if the doctor says that you're healthy enough to start. I then spoke to the head of Duke, to be sure, and he said that if you weren't healthy enough to start right on time for the semester, he could set up a way for you to do your work while you were at home. He's very supportive of our situation, and says as long as we complete all our work and manage looking after the baby; he has no problems with us housing together with her." He laughed.

"Well I'm glad that's sorted. Our little girl can grow up to be whatever she wants to be, and we'll support her every dream and her every goal." I smiled, placing our entwined hands on top of my stomach. "And I'm guessing she likes the sound of that." I laughed as she kicked.

"She should. I like the sound of it." He smiled.

"So do I. Our life together for the next four years is going to be great."

"You know it." He smiled once more, placing a light kiss on my lips.

* * *

We soon reached the bottom of the eye again, and stepped out of the pod hand in hand. We walked through the city, admiring the view as the sun set. We were now sat on a bench on the top of Primrose Hill, which had an overview of the city of London. It was just like the London eye, however only a tad smaller. I was resting my head on Nathans shoulder, watching the sunset over the city ahead of us. The sky was a midnight blue, with a tint of purple in the underlying part. There were few stars, shining bright as a diamond in the dark sky. The city seemed to be at peace, there was nobody around and the lights were lighting up the buildings. It was as if the carnival had come to town, and despite all the chaos and the madness, there seemed a sense of stillness and peace, where the lights shone brightly like stars and gave the city the magical effect.

Nathan placed a light kiss on the side of my head, before he let go of my hand and stood up.

"What was that for?" I smiled.

"Because I love you." He smiled back.

"I love you, too, you know that." I laughed.

"I do. And that's why I wanted to ask you this." I watched on in shock as he kneeled down and got down onto one knee. "Haley, will you marry me?" _What? Was this even real? Was this really happening?_

"What?" I stuttered out in shock.

"Marry me, Haley. Marry me in front of all our friends and our family, just like you've always dreamed. Let me prove my love for you to everyone, and let me officially make you Mrs. Haley Scott. We can get married straight away; wait until after college, during college, whenever you want. I want you to be my wife, Haley. There is nothing more in this world that I want more than to be a proper family, just you, me, and our baby. So how about it, make me the happiest man on earth and agree to be my wife?" I felt myself tearing up at the words he was speaking. "Haley James, will you marry me?"

"Yes." I sobbed, through the tears that now fell rapidly down my cheeks. "Yes! Yes, Nathan, yes. And a hundred times yes. I want to be your wife." I giggled, through happiness, tears and nervousness. He placed the ring on my finger, before standing up and placing his lips over mine.

I felt as though the sparks were flying around us, and the fireworks were exploding from inside of me. This moment, the moment I had always dreamed of, was more than perfect. Standing in front of me was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with; the man who would love and protect me through everything; no matter what. I knew in that moment that nobody would ever be as important to me as he was. My love for him now only grew, and despite any bad thing that had ever happened to us, we were happy.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: So yes, Kate Voegele was AMAZING. She's just omg, I cannot put into words how good she was live. If you want my story of the night and videos, go to my Tumblr .com (yes I know I changed it again, it was Kate inspired). Or if you want just the videos they're on my youtube channel Jodiexoxxx :) I decided to update because my wonderful beta Shay told me too :P We both needed some kind of way to finish the really well dark is the word conversation (you really do not wanna know) so she told me to update so I am :) I love you babe :)**

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**naley12: I'm glad you like it! :) Last chapter was the one I had originally used the idea you gave me but I rewrote it...obviously:') but who knows, who says I decided not to use it at all...;) hahahaaaa. A tease for you for always reviewing :) xo**

**shelleylovesnaley: Thank you! :) Thanks for your ideas as well, I'm always open to using them :P The whole thing with my dad was just embarrasing. I was so mortified. He was treating me like I'm 5 in the middle of Pizza Hut in front of 2 boys from my year, omg. *hides face forever*. Thanks for caring though :) xo**

**Chapter 37**

I awoke the next day with a huge grin on my face, looking at the ring that now occupied my fourth finger on my left hand. The ring was simple; a silver band with a square diamond in the centre. I didn't pay much attention to the carat of the diamond, but it was beautiful either way. It felt right to have it there, almost like I'd been wearing it for a while, taken it off, and just put it back on. I had no idea how he'd afforded it, it looked to be expensive. But expensive or not, diamond or not, it was beautiful.

"Do you like it?" Nathan asked, not opening his eyes.

"How did you –"

"Do you really think I need to see you with my eyes to know what you're doing? You're looking at your ring again." He laughed.

"Oh. Well, yes. I love it, Nathan. It's perfect. How did you know?" I asked, moving closer to him.

"I got Charlie to help me out. I knew you two were quite close, and I knew she wouldn't tell you. Brooke would've made it too obvious, and Peyton probably would have told Lucas who would have definitely told you." He smiled, wrapping his arms around me.

"When did you get to talk to Charlie?" I questioned.

"I spoke to her during practice one morning. When you felt too sick with the baby and you didn't come in."

"You've had the ring all that time?" I asked, shocked.

"Pretty much, yeah. It was about two or three weeks before I could afford it. So I got it, and I hid it from you. I wanted to wait for the perfect moment, and I've been carrying it around with me for a while, waiting for that perfect moment. Last night, when we were just sitting and watching the rest of the city, it just seemed right. I always knew I wanted to spend my life with you, ever since we got together, but last night everything just seemed, I don't know, perfect, I suppose. You, me, and our baby, just us together, and that's all that matters." He smiled. "I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Scott, you know."

"I can't wait, either. But I don't want to get married until after the baby's born. I don't want to look like a whale in my dress." I laughed. "Plus, she'd make the cutest flower girl."

"Sounds good to me." He smiled, placing a kiss on my head. "Do you want to tell anyone yet?"

"I want too, but I don't think we should. Maybe at the after party, once the Olympics are all over. We can tell them the baby's a girl, too." I suggested.

"I think that sounds perfect." He replied, pressing his lips to mine.

It was magic the way he kissed me; the way his lips connected with mine. It was finally right between us, and somehow, among the dizziness and the breathlessness, I clung to him like a lifeline. Something changed inside of me, that would never be reversed.

A few hours later, we got up and got ourselves ready, ready for the day ahead of us. Today, we were going for a picnic in St. James Park. The plan was originally for the two of us, but we'd invited others along to spend some time with them before competition. Now, Nathan, Brooke, Peyton, Charlie, Julian, Lucas, Chase and I were all going on a picnic. The sun was shining and the weather was beautiful. The day was perfect for a picnic, and we'd all chipped in so that the food didn't get too expensive.

We walked out from our apartment, with the food we'd bought in hand. We were meeting up with the rest of them just outside the Olympic village, where we were all staying. We were all relatively close to each other, but not everyone got the roommates they wanted. Anyone that didn't would have probably switched around by now, I wouldn't know, I was only really paying attention to where I would be situated, and luckily for me, that was with Nathan. At least if I couldn't see him during the day every day, I'd see him when he came home.

By the time we arrived, it didn't take us long to realize we were the last ones there. Clearly, everyone picked up on this.

"Haley!" Brooke shrieked. "Where have you and tutor-boy been! We've been waiting for ages!"

"Brooke, they're only ten minutes late." Charlie laughed from behind her.

"So not the point! You two weren't doing the dirty were you?" She asked.

"No! Brooke, please. We were just a bit slow getting ready." I laughed in reply.

"Slow, my ass. You two were so getting it on."

"We were not!" I protested.

"Whatever, let's just go." She said, walking back to Julian and walking with him.

I held onto Nathan's hand, our fingers entwined as always, as we walked through the city towards the park. Nearly everyone had complained at my need to pee every ten minutes, but that wasn't my fault. Nathan had told them to stop complaining, but they didn't stop. It didn't bug me as such; it was as annoying for me as it was for them. We did eventually reach the park, and found the perfect spot. We still had a while before lunch time, so everyone went off and explored the rest of the park, whilst Nathan and I stayed put in our spot, enjoying each other's company. I lay content in his arms with our hands linked on top of my stomach.

"I love you, you know that?" He smiled, pressing his lips to my head.

"Mm, I definitely know that. I love you, too." I grinned, craning my neck to look up at him and place my lips on his. "And it looks like Isabella does, too." I laughed as she kicked harder from inside of me.

"Daddy loves you, too, princess. He just wants some alone time with mommy before mommy's friends come back and demand all her attention." He laughed, pressing a kiss to my stomach before looking back up at me. "Come here, you." He pulled me closer to him, entwining our hands and fusing our lips together in a moment of heated passion.

I was still not used to this new feeling experienced between us; everything seemed to fall perfectly into place now that we were engaged. It would definitely take some getting used to, but that could wait. Grasping the whole engagement thing could wait. Right now, all that mattered was that I was content to lie in his arms and just _be._

I carried my ring on a chain around my neck, so it always close to my heart, but nobody would find out. I felt bad for lying to them all, they were my best friends and I knew I could trust them, I just didn't want to distract from their competition.

"Nathan?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Hmm?" He replied, looking at me.

"Would you hate it if I told Brooke and Peyton?" I smiled, biting the bottom of my lip.

"No, of course not. If you want too, I'll be right there telling them with you." He replied, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you, baby." I smiled, pressing my lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you, too. You know I do." He grinned, returning my kiss.

Lunch had come and gone, and the boys had left us to gossip while we were basking in the sun, and they had gone elsewhere. They didn't say where they were going, but said they wouldn't be back for a while. I planned on telling the girls about Nathan and I while the boys weren't here, and I suspected Nathan would do the same.

I was trying to figure out how to put the news to them in my head; I didn't want to just blurt it out. Maybe I could just slip the ring on my finger and let them notice? Or maybe I should just tell them? Telling them was probably the best option. Now all I had to do was figure out how to do it so they wouldn't be mad. At least I was going to tell them, and they couldn't get mad for not telling them when it only happened yesterday. I sat up from the position I was lying in before working up the courage to speak.

"Guys, I need to tell you something." I said, trying not to show any emotion to give it away.

"What is it, Hales? Is it the baby? Is it alright?" Brooke panicked, as Peyton and Charlie's expressions seemed to show me the same thing.

"No, calm down. The baby's fine, kicking as hard as ever. I have good news to share with you, for once." I laughed.

"Oh. Well what is it?" Brooke replied.

"Yeah, come on Hales, don't keep us waiting." Peyton hurried me.

"Nathan asked me to marry him." I grinned, having a recollection of the moment in my head.

They all squealed in what I thought to be delight as if felt three pairs of arms wrap themselves around me. I did my best to hug them all in return as I smiled and laughed with them. I think it was safe to say that they were happy for me.

"He finally did it, huh?" Charlie smiled.

"Yeah, last night. And the rings perfect, Char. Thanks for helping him out." I smiled brightly, waiting for the reaction of my two best friends.

"Did you say yes?" Brooke asked.

"Of course I did! We're getting married." I laughed as I smiled a great smile that reached my ears. I hadn't prepared myself for Brooke's high pitched scream when I told her. "Brooke! Please, the baby will go deaf." I laughed once more.

"Oops, sorry." She bit her lip as she looked at me before smiling once more and pulling me into a hug. "I'm so happy for you. My best friends getting married!"

"I am." I smiled, hugging her back as best I could.

"Congratulations, Hales. I'm really happy for you." Peyton spoke up. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Thanks, you guys." I smiled.

"Well what are you waiting for? Show me the ring!" Brooke demanded with a laugh. I pulled my chain from inside my top and took off the ring, placing it in its rightful spot. I held out my hand to her, so she could look at the newly acquired ring. "Oh my god, it's beautiful! Tutor boy did well."

"Char helped him." I laughed. "And it's perfect. I wouldn't want it anywhere else. But we're not telling people until after competition. So I'm keeping it on my necklace so it's close to my heart. And you can't tell anyone. Especially not Rachel."

"She'll be devastated. She thinks she has a shot with Nathan." Peyton replied.

"She really hates you." Charlie laughed.

"Let her hate me. I'm pregnant with his baby, and he proposed to me. I think that's evidence enough who he wants to be with." I smiled.

"Haley James, everyone, always the graceful one." Brooke laughed.

"Well someone has to be. And we all know it's not going to be you." I teased as she feigned offence.

"Hey! I'm taking things slow with Julian, you know that. I'm not as bad as you think I am!" She protested.

"You're right." Peyton said simply.

"You're worse." I finished, laughing.

"Oh whatever! You guys are so cruel." She pouted.

"Oh come on, Brooke. We're only kidding." Peyton replied, laughing. "Kinda."

"Seriously, B. I'm happy for you and Julian. We're only teasing you. But he's treating you right isn't he? And you're not being too harsh with him? He's not like you." I reminded her.

"I know. We're very happy, though. I love him, and he loves me. He's different from any boy I've ever been with." Brooke replied.

"Aw, Tigger, that's great. You sound very happy. I can tell he's different." I smiled, hearing her talk about her boyfriend.

"He is. And he's a totally amazing kisser."

"Try not to sicken my baby before it's even born." I laughed.

"Sorry. But my godchild wants to know all about Julian, don't you baby?" She spoke to the bump.

"Brooke!" I laughed. "Anyway, you two are quiet. What about Luke and Chase?"

"I'm just thankful to be here, doing what I love. I do like Chase, but for the moment I need to stay focused on my gymnastics, so no boys for me for a while." Charlie explained.

"That's probably the best idea. I'm proud of you, Char." I smiled.

"Thanks, Hales."

"What about Luke, Peyt? Not going to have to give him a slap and tell him to treat you properly, am I?" I laughed.

"No, he's perfect. He says the sweetest things to me." She gushed.

"I'm glad. He gets it from his mom. She raised him to be a proper gentleman. He always used to tell my dad that he would never hurt me when Taylor told my parents we were making out in my room." I sighed, thinking of my absentee parents.

"Aw, Hales, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I forgot." Peyton apologized, wrapping her arms around me as my eyes filled with unshed tears. _Damn hormones._

"It's not your fault."

"Have you spoken to them since?" Brooke asked.

"No. Quinn says they don't talk about me anymore. Says it's like I don't exist." I sniffed, wiping my eyes. "It's alright, though. I have Nathan, and his parents are more than supportive enough of us. They kicked me out, and in return they won't know their grandchild. Simple as that."

"Well I'm glad you've got the right attitude about it, but you know you don't have to pretend around us. We know you inside out. Peyt and I have been your friends forever. If you want to cry about it or let it out, you know we're here. You don't have to bottle it all up." Brooke comforted, squeezing my hand.

"I know. Thanks, Tigger. And you, Peyt. Heck, Char, come here. You've all helped me through this, and I love you all." I embraced them all as best I could.

"Can I ask you something?" Charlie asked, quietly once I let them go.

"Shoot." I replied.

"Do you ever…regret it? Like, picking a family over your career? I mean, it's got to be hard for you, watching us all compete here when you know you should be, too. You lost your dream. Doesn't it ever upset you?" She asked, looking at me. "I don't mean it in a bad way, I'm happy that you're happy. I was just curious."

"Um…I never regret it, no. But I do have days where I wish things could be different. I don't believe in abortion and I'd never have done that to my baby, but sometimes I just wish things could be different. I do wish I could be competing here, but what can you do? I'm happy with Nathan, and we're happy with our baby, so, I can't really answer that. But just don't do what I did, it's not a way out, trust me. You're good at what you do, and trust me Char, you can go far with gymnastics." I smiled, rubbing her arm.

"Thank you." She smiled. "But who's gonna coach me when we get back? You'll be going to college in Durham."

"You've still got Tom. He'll be there for you. You can do this, Char. I believe in you and you don't need me to coach you to do well. But I promise I'll be coming back whenever I can." I reassured her.

"You promise?"

"I pinkie promise." I said, linking my little finger through hers.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: I know, I'm terrible. I'm SO sorry I haven't updated but with school starting back up everything is so crazy. I have so much homework it is unreal, coursework from last year I need to finish, as well as 3 Twitters, 2 Tumblrs, and 4 fanfics to deal with. OH and rehearsals for We Will Rock You started today, yay. :-D Show time is always the best time of the year. I rehearse for that Mondays and Tuesdays, so yeah, not much time for myself anymore. **

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**naley12: Yay I'm glad you like it! :-) More time with friends in this chapter...ish, I think. Thanks for the review sweetness, keep it up! :-) x**

**ObsessivePrincess: YAY! :-D I'm SO glad you love it, I _really _needed to hear that. I'm sorry I'm so terrible with updates (a) Yes, I agree, but that isn't happening just yet. :-) I wrote this months ago, I do everything in advance, yay me. It's okay if you type Merrygold or Sykes or even both, 'cause someday that's going to be my name. Aston knows it is. :-) LOVE YA TOO! Xo**

**Chapter 38**

The next day, everyone had practice until the opening ceremony that night. I went along to practice to help out with final preparations; what else was I going to do? Nathan and I had decided to only tell Brooke, Peyton, Charlie, Chase, Julian and Lucas about our engagement, and would announce the engagement to everybody else at the after party for the Olympics. I wore my ring on my chain and hid it under my shirt, so it was close to my heart and nobody would notice it.

I was confident that the US would go home with many medals in gymnastics, individual and team. Watching everyone did give me a streak of jealousy, but seeing them stick the landing of a move or dismount once I'd given them tips on how made up for it. I'd never considered coaching gymnastics, but then I never really had to consider it. Now trying out coaching, I was better at it than I thought, and I enjoyed it more than I thought, too.

I was now watching Brooke perform her routine on bars, and helping her make any final improvements. Being an ex-gymnast myself gave me the advantage of picking out little bits from routines that other coaches may not pick up on. I knew what the judges were picky about, and I could help others with that. I placed my arm across the small of Brookes back as she landed, to keep her from falling.

"Tigger! That was great!" I smiled, pulling her close to me.

"Really? I keep falling on the dismount." She replied.

"It was really great." I smiled. "Only a few things, make sure your handstands do go right up and it's clear it's a handstand, else they mark you down. And on your dismount, make sure you get enough rotations; otherwise you won't make it properly, and you'll fall. Everything else about your routine is fine, honestly."

"Alright, I'm gonna try it again. I'm gonna do it until I've got it down." She said, walking back to the front of the bars.

"Alright. I'm gonna go help Char with her floor routine, okay? You can do this, Brooke. I believe in you." I said as I walked to the floor mat.

"Hey, Char." I smiled as I watched her walk over to me.

"Hey." She smiled back.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Um, good, I think. Can you help me, though?"

"Yeah, sure I can. Show me what you got."

I watched as she moved to her starting position in one corner of the mat. I watched her fly through the air in her multiple tumbling passes, she was a young Olympic champion in training. There was no way she couldn't medal in her events. She had the power and the height to her tumbling passes, and she was as graceful as a swan. She had the perfect mix; there wasn't really much for me to help her improve on. She finished in the middle of the mat in her finishing position, before she got up and walked over to me.

"So…what can I do better?"

"Char, you're perfect." I laughed. "The only thing you can do better is just make your dance elements a bit more defined, you know? Don't get me wrong, you're amazing, but if you want to do better, you need to make it look a bit more dancey. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get it. I'll work on it. Thanks, Hales." She smiled.

"Anytime." I looked over to the vault where Nathan was about to launch himself into it. I knew he wasn't competing on vault until the individual events, and when he stopped in front of the horse, I frowned slightly and walked over to him. "Hey, baby. What's up?"

"Hey, babe. Not much. I just can't get over this stupid horse with this new vault. Competition is in like, four days and I can't get myself over." He sighed.

"Is it that new vault Tom gave you? The blind landing?"

"Yeah."

"I had trouble with that. It's fear that's holding you back. You're scared that you're going to mess up or land on your ass. You've got to eliminate the fear." I explained, having suffered a case of fear with a blind landing myself.

"And how do I do that oh wise one?" He smirked.

"Knock it off." I laughed, giving him a light slap. "Trust. That's all it is. Eliminate the fear, replace it with trust. No more fear; trust. Just say it to yourself before you start running, chant it if it helps. Trust me, it works."

"Alright. I'll try it." I watched as he made his way back up to the start of the runway to the vault, and heard him chanting the words I'd told him to quietly under his breath. And sure enough, he made it over the vault without a problem. I smiled as I watched his face light up with proudness, as did mine.

"You did it!" I beamed as I walked to the end of the vault.

"I did it!" He smiled back, pulling me close as the bump would allow us to be. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"One thing: try to gain more height. It'll help you stick your landing better." I encouraged, having had problems with height and landings before. He captured my lips in a sweet kiss, to which I returned before smiling up at him.

"Thank you, baby." He said.

"You're welcome." I smiled.

"How's my baby doing?" He asked, rubbing my very swollen stomach.

"She's fine. Kicks harder when daddy's around." I laughed.

"That's what I like to hear. Daddy's little princess already."

I looked around and noticed Rachel staring at us. I knew she was jealous, but that was her problem. She wasn't coming between us again, especially now we were engaged and having a baby together. The reaction she was blatantly going to give to the news of our engagement would be worth paying to see. She'd been a problem my whole career, and the incident with Nathan made me dislike her even more.

"Haley!" I heard Tom bellow across the room.

"Yeah?" I asked as he came closer.

"You've been coaching for a while; take a break for a bit." He suggested. He did this a lot, whenever he thought I'd been coaching too long he told me to take a break. He was only trying to be supportive, and stop me from working hours on my feet at a time, but it was very annoying at some points.

"If you say so, coach." I laughed. "See you later, baby." I said to Nathan, placing a light kiss on his lips before heading to the side to sit down.

"Haley." Tom said.

"Sorry." I laughed, knowing he wasn't impressed with my gesture.

* * *

Later that night, we were standing in the stadium waiting for the opening ceremony to begin. The artistic part was underway already, with many different things to show the British culture and unity of the world during the Olympics. We stood along with the rest of the competing athletes from the US, and waited to be called before walking out from behind the doors and into the stadium. Even though I technically wasn't part of the US team anymore, coaches and assistant coaches got to be part of the parade. So I would be walking right alongside Tom, which would be my position in line.

I'd always dreamed of walking in the Olympic parade, but never did I think that it'd be as an assistant coach instead of an athlete. I was naturally upset that I'd lost out on my dream, but I'd spent the last few months moping enough about it. So I decided that tonight was the night I'd suck it up and deal with it. It wasn't just about me anymore. In fact, it wasn't about me at all. It was about celebrating the potential victories the US team would bring.

The artistic part of the opening ceremony had finally finished, and the end was signaled by a round of fireworks shooting to the sky from the top of the arena and all around the village. Now, it was our turn. We patiently waited for the team to be called, as the teams before us walked in. Right on cue, we started to walk out from the back of the stadium and smiled to the audience of thousands as the voiceover boomed "Please welcome, the team from the United States of America".

Thousands upon thousands of flashes were erupting through the stadium, all dying to capture the moments of the opening ceremony. The lights nearly blinded me, but soon enough we were standing in our place in front of the stage, waiting for the rest of the teams to file in. Finally, as the British team took their positions, the prime minister of Britain began his speech. Shortly after he finished, we listened to another speech from the head of the Olympic committee.

We watched in awe as four men and women, all former British athletes, dressed in white, carried the Olympic flag through the stadium and handed it over to the Olympic officials who would tie it to the pole where it would be raised for the world to see.

After a long night, the opening ceremony was finally over. The end had once again been signaled by a round of fireworks that light up the night sky. They were all sorts of colors, and they were all pretty.

* * *

By the time the night was over, I was ready for bed. Tom had given everyone a strict time for lights out as he always did. No doubt somebody would break it at some point, but he wouldn't exactly have a way of checking when we were all dotted around the place. But at least tonight, everyone would stick to the lights out time. Everyone was too tired to stay up any later.

I leaned my head into Nathans shoulder as we walked towards the bedroom. He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head before we went our separate ways to get ourselves ready for bed. I started to bend over to open the drawer that contained my pyjamas, but I was interrupted when Nathan protested.

"Stop that." He frowned as I stood back up.

"What?" I laughed.

"Bending over to get things. You're only gonna hurt your back even more, and we don't want that." He replied, as I sat on the bed and laughed as he handed me a pair of pyjamas.

"Nathan, calm down. I'm fine, honestly. Sometimes you can worry too much, and you're doing it now." I laughed again.

"I just want to make sure you're alright, that's all." He reassured, placing a kiss on my lips as I got myself changed. I took off the chain I was wearing and slid my ring back onto my finger, where it belonged, before placing the chain on the bedside table and getting into bed.

"I know. Now come on, sleep, you've got a big day tomorrow." Tomorrow was the day of the team finals.

"Alright. Goodnight, baby. I love you." He smiled, placing a kiss on my lips, to which I returned.

"Goodnight, babe. I love you, too." I whispered, as I lay my head on his chest and let the sleep wash over my body.

**Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? TELL ME PEOPLE, I DON'T BITE. :-)**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Hey guys! :) I wasn't planning to update again this week buuuuut plans change. It's my birthday on Monday (yay me, finally 15), and I have rehearsals Monday and Tuesday for the school musical. Plus I'm going out next weekend to celebrate. :-) Also, I thought I should share with you that I am actually petrified of dogs again. Yesterday on work experience, (I work at an estate/letting agents), I was out dropping leaflets, and I went to this one house and their dog bit my right hand. :( I can't write properly, and typing is increasingly difficult with one hand and one finger on my right hand. Also, I'm STILL writing the epilogue because NOBODY WILL HELP ME DECIDE WHAT TO DO. I've got loads written but that aint the point, I can't decide on certain things. **

**So tell me, do you want Haley to be able to go back to gymnastics? Should Naley take their child on honeymoon with them, leave her with Dan and Deb, or not go on honeymoon at all? You control the ending from here on out! **

**Review replies:**

**ObsessivePrincess: I like fluffy chapters. :-) I love Haley singing. Yay for S1, old school. Finally used my name huh? ;) Hahaha, I told you it's okay to call me that(a) LOVE YOU TOO BIG SIS. x**

**naley12: Thank you! :-)**

**Hope you enjoy this one :)**

**Chapter 39**

Team finals were well and truly underway, and Team USA were currently in first position. The women's team were currently competing, and the men's team would be competing later on. It was only just afternoon, around 12:30 pm at the last check of the time. The men's team were due to compete at around 3pm, after the women's finished at around 1pm. They needed the extra time to bring in the extra two pieces of apparatus and set them up, and to allow time for the new audience for the men's team to arrive at the stadium.

Brooke and Rachel were currently competing in the final rotation for the women's team; Brooke would be performing on bars while Rachel performed on beam. Rachel was annoyed to say the least when Brooke was given my spot as the first all-around gymnast on the team, she felt that she deserved it and demanded they reconsider. They moved Brooke from third to first, meaning Peyton moved from fourth to third, Ciara moved from fifth to fourth, Charlie moved from sixth to fifth and Ella was given the sixth spot on the team.

I watched Brooke as she swung around the higher of the two bars, executing a perfect handstand before swinging around the bar and preparing for her dismount. She had to gain enough swing and enough power to be able to pull off the height she needed for her dismount. As expected, she pulled it off and released herself from the higher bar, twisting three times in the air before landing. She would get a tenth of a point deducted for taking a tiny step on the landing, but she managed to stick it without falling, so at least it wasn't anything more. The rest of her routine was seamless and flowed easily. Her original D score was 8.4, which added to the 9.0 she got as her E score, gave her 17.4. It was a high score and would be more than enough to keep us in front.

She walked back over to us with a smile on her face.

"Tigger! That was awesome!" I grinned as I hugged her close to me. "Ew, you're all sweaty." I laughed as I pushed her away.

"Thanks, Hales. I could've nailed the landing better, though." She sighed as she sat down next to me.

"Brooke, you were fine. That's a difficult dismount. You didn't have to be perfect." I laughed.

"Thanks." She smiled. "I hope so. I have scouts watching me today, to guarantee my place at college."

"Oh yeah? Where did you decide on going in the end?" I questioned.

"I haven't decided yet. But I've got scouts from NYU, Duke, UNC, Charlotte and Chapel Hill, Florida University, UCLA and Stanford." She listed.

"Wow, a lot then?" I laughed.

"Yeah, you could say that." She laughed. "Have you and Nathan decided where you're going yet?"

"I wanted to go to UCLA, all my family have been there, it's like tradition for us. It's out of state but it's a great school and has an excellent record for NCAA championships. But then now I'm pregnant, I can't exactly get in on gymnastics scholarship. Plus there's no guarantee I wouldn't go into labor while I was flying to LA. I'd be really close to my due date and we can't exactly risk that." I sighed.

"Wow, sounds like you've got it tough. Have you looked at schools in state? It'd be much easier for home visits." She suggested.

"Yeah, I know. I've been looking at Duke, actually. It is a really good school and it's still close-ish to home. Nathan and I discussed it the other night, actually. Just before he proposed to me." I laughed. "He spoke to the head of UCLA and explained our situation, what with me being pregnant and everything. He managed to transfer Nathan's NCAA scholarship to Duke, and he said I managed to get in on my grades.

"So he spoke to the head of Duke, and he said he'd be happy for us to go there. He said if I wasn't healthy enough or if I hadn't popped the baby out by the time semester starts, he can arrange for me to do work at home. I still want the baby born in Tree Hill. And I'd probably need a few weeks off school before we take her with us." I explained.

"Well it sounds like you've got a plan there. It sounds good to me."

"Everything would be so much simpler if I hadn't gotten myself pregnant." I sighed.

"Aw come on, Hales. We both know you don't mean that." She reassured, rubbing my arm.

"I know. You're right, I don't mean it. But I just wish it was simpler than this. I mean, I'm eighteen and I'm having a baby, how messed up is that?"

"It happens to plenty of people. You're just a unique case."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome."

* * *

A few hours later, the women's teams were collecting their team medals. The US Women's team had placed in first, ahead of China and Russia, with Romania missing out in fourth. Brooke had been the one to bring us to victory, her bars routine had pulled us into first position, whilst Rachel's beam routine helped us to keep our place at the top of the scoreboard. Everyone on the team had brought their A-game to competition, and it had paid off. They were now standing on the podiums, the US in the middle in first position, with China on the right for second position, and Russia on the left for third position. There were six girls on each of the podiums, so you can imagine how big they had made them.

On the US podium in the middle, from the left the girls lined up with Ciara at the far left, then Alexis, Charlie, Brooke, Peyton and Rachel on the far right side. They placed their hands over their hearts as the US National Anthem began to play, with tears filling their eyes. It was plain to see to anybody that this was a proud moment for them, and once the tune ended, they raised their flowers above their heads and beamed great smiles of pride.

I couldn't help but a feel a pang of jealousy within me; I knew that if I'd just stuck to the rules, I'd be there with them. I could've had my dream of Olympic gold medal, and had a chance to compete for individual all-around title, but I screwed up. I'd always be jealous and regretful that I left gymnastics, knowing that I would probably never get back into it, but I tried to be happy for my friends.

And plus, Nathan and I were happy. We were happy being together, and we were going to get married and have our baby. I didn't have to be jealous, even though I'd lost one dream; I was starting a new dream. I'd always wanted a family of my own, and I was going to get it. Maybe I was getting it a little earlier than I expected too, but I couldn't do much about that now. I was happy in my position, even if it wasn't where I imagined myself at this age.

Eventually, the girls were released from the podium and came bounding over to me with huge smiles on their faces.

"You did it!" I smiled at them all.

"We may have won the gold, but we couldn't have done it without you." Brooke replied.

"I'm sure that's not true. You were all amazing out there. You deserve your medals, I didn't win it; you did." I countered.

"But you coached us. You pick up on things that we need to do, even if they're the little tiny things." She argued.

"Thanks, Brooke." I smiled. "I'm so proud of you all." I spoke, as I was pulled into a group hug with the six girls in front of me.

"We all know you should've been up there with us, though." Charlie replied.

"You've worked for this your whole life, it's sad that we're all there and you're not. It doesn't seem right to do this without you." Peyton elaborated.

"Thanks for the concern, guys. I know how you feel, I really wish I could be standing there with you as an athlete, and not an assistant coach, but I guess circumstances change, and I can't be there with you. I wish I could, but I can't." I sighed, while trying to keep a smile.

"Don't you miss it?" Ciara asked.

"Of course I miss it. I'm insanely jealous of you girls right now, what you have is the one thing that I've always wanted. My parents always told me that none of it mattered unless I won the gold. But then I guess they were wrong. I'm happy that I'm still World champion, and I guess that's enough for me. My dream was Olympic champion, but obviously, I can't make that dream anymore." I spoke as I placed a hand on my ever expanding stomach.

"But I wouldn't change anything. I'm so happy with Nathan, he's everything I've ever wanted, that wasn't to do with gymnastics, I mean. I always dreamt that after the Olympics or after college or whatever, that I'd have a family of my own. Just like the family I grew up in. And maybe I got it a little earlier than expected, but I wouldn't change anything. I'm happy, Nathan's happy, and everyone around me is happy, and to be honest with you, happiness is the only thing that I need. As long as we're together, and we're happy, then I know I've done well." I grinned.

"I never thought of it like that." Brooke said. "Well we're happy for you, Haley. You seem happy, so we're happy for you. I'm sorry that you can't have this dream, but you've got your other dream."

"Thanks, Tigger." I smiled, pulling her close to my side.

"As long as Nathan's treating you right, and I don't have to kick his ass for upsetting you, then if being with him makes you happy, we're all happy for you, too."

"Thank you." I laughed. "I think. But he'd never intentionally hurt me. He loves me, and I love him."

"Well you've certainly got it all planned out, don't you?" Peyton laughed.

"Yep, we kinda do." I smiled as I looked to Nathan, talking to Tom. He gave me a smile back despite his conversation.

"Well we're all happy for you." Ciara smiled.

"Thanks, Ciara." I smiled in return.

"Oh yeah, let's all be happy for the knocked up ex gymnast who broke nearly every rule in the book. How can you all be happy for her? She's ruined her life, and will never be a gymnast again. She ruined her career, and you're all happy for her! She's a bad example for all of us." It figures Rachel would say something eventually.

"Well, Rachel, that's your opinion. And yeah, I guess I am a bad role model for all the girls at the gym. But I didn't intentionally get pregnant. I was scared as hell when I found out. But to be honest, I don't care. My friends are happy for me, my boyfriend's happy for me, and he's sticking around because he loves me. So go spread your hate elsewhere. We don't need it here. We're a team, and if you can't be a part of it, maybe you should reconsider your position. I'm not saying you have to be happy for me, lord knows you'll never be happy for me, but at least try and stop being a bitch. It's getting you nowhere." I replied.

She walked away from the group once I'd said my piece, and I'd been dying to say that for a long time. She was going to get the shock of her life at the party after all the events were done when Nathan and I announced our engagement.

* * *

Later that day, Nathan was competing in his events. His vault had gone perfectly, and he'd taken my advice and eliminated the fear from his blind landing. His smile when he landed it was so great; he looked to have never been so happy. He placed a soft kiss on my lips as he re-joined the group of his friends and teammates, before enterwining our hands and pulling me close to his side. His score of 16.7 appeared on the board and managed to pull the US men's team into second behind Romania. Vault was the last rotation of the team finals, and therefore the US team had medaled at silver. It was still a good effort from the boys on the team, and we'd still done well, but Romania proved too strong to defeat.

"I'm so proud of you." I smiled to Nathan.

"Yeah? Well I'm glad you hear it. I'm proud of you, too." He smiled in reply, placing a sweet kiss on my lips.

"Nathan!" Tom called out. "We need you. They're presenting medals, come on."

"I guess that's my cue." He said with a chuckle. "I'll be back in a bit. I'll look for you."

"Go and get your medal, already. I'm fine." I laughed, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'm proud of you, remember?"

"Alright, I'll go. But I'll be back as soon as I'm free to go. And I want you right by my side when I'm done." He instructed.

"Nathan, I'll be there. I promise. Now go!" I laughed, as he placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Alright, see you in a bit, baby. I love you." He smiled.

"I love you, too." I replied as he bent down to press a kiss to my stomach.

"Daddy loves you, too, little princess." He grinned as he stood up and placed a final kiss on my lips before heading to the podium to accept his medal along with the rest of the team.

I watched on in pride as the medal was placed around his neck, and he sent a cheeky wink in my direction. I laughed and watched on waiting for the medal presentation to be over, so we could be together. Eventually it was over, and Nathan and I finally got the chance to spend time together for the first time that day.

"Hi baby." He smiled, as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Hi." I smiled in reply, taking his hand in mine. "Are we getting out of here?"

"Yeah, we sure are. Come on, we've finally got some time to ourselves. I've not got training until tomorrow." He informed me, walking out of the stadium.

"Alright. Well we can go home, and order in? I don't feel like going out tonight, so we could just watch some movies and eat. Is that okay?" I asked.

"Sounds perfect to me. I only need my two girls and I'll be fine." He laughed as we got into the car.

"Glad to hear it. We haven't spent time together in days." I pouted.

"I know. Sorry about that, baby. Tom's had us working overtime to train for the event and all around finals. You know there's no place I'd rather be than with you." He used the hand that he wasn't driving with to take mine and stroke the back of my hand with his thumb.

"I know. It's okay, honestly. I understand, I used to be part of the madness." I laughed slightly. "Now just take us home, so we can spend one night together away from everything and everyone."

"That I can do." He smiled, placing a kiss on the back of my hand before driving towards our apartment, where we would spend our night together with no interruptions from anyone or anything.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 41**

I felt my eyes open slightly a while later, and found myself staring into bright white. I didn't quite know what I was staring at, but I squinted all the same, as the brightness was hurting my eyes. I heard multiple voices around me, but I was more focused on the hand that was holding mine, I'd recognize it anywhere. _Nathan was here. _I didn't realize he'd stayed. I couldn't believe it.

"Haley? Baby, can you hear me? Hales, if you can hear me, respond to me, squeeze my hand or something. Please, baby." He pleaded, as I tried to squeeze his hand. It was only very lightly, but it felt like I was using every ounce of strength I had.

I adjusted my eyes to the brightness of the room, before looking up at Nathan.

"What…what are you doing here?" I asked.

"You didn't think I was going to leave my girl in pain, did you? I promised you I'd love you forever, and they would've had to drag me kicking and screaming if they wanted me anywhere but here, because there's no way I'm leaving you." He smiled slightly, moving a stray piece of hair out of my face.

"What…what about…what about the baby?" I stammered.

"She's fine. The doctor said that your blood pressure was lower than it should be or something. I don't know all the technical stuff but she said that was what was causing the pain, but it was quite serious. They had to perform an emergency C-section. You have to stay here for a while." He explained. "The doctor will explain later."

"Is she okay? The baby?"

"She was born four weeks early, but they thought if they left her in there that she wouldn't get the oxygen or the things she needed. They said it would be safer for you and her to get her out. She's in the premature baby ward at the moment, but the doctor says she's fighting."

"What does she look like?"

"She's beautiful. She looks just like you. She has your eyes, bright and blue, really big. Just like her mom. She weighed 6 and half pounds, which was a bit more than they expected, but they said it would increase her chances. She's so beautiful, Hales." He grinned, with a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet. The doctor said you have to stay put for a while."

I nodded in response before he placed a kiss on my head and took my hand in his own. "I need to get the doctor. Will you be alright for a minute?"

"I'm fine." I laughed slightly, stopping abruptly. "I'll be fine. Just go."

He returned in less than a minute, with a doctor in tow.

"Hello, Haley. Nice to see you awake. I'm Doctor Pond, and I'll be looking after you for a while, whilst you're here, okay?" She smiled, as I nodded in response. "Good. Right, do you have any memory of what happened?"

"Um…I was at the airport. We just got off our flight back from London." I started.

"I'm aware of your travel plans, Haley. I need you to tell me what you remember."

"Okay, sorry. Um…so we were at the airport. We got passed security and we were waiting to get our luggage. I felt like something wasn't right while we were walking, but I ignored it because I thought it was no big deal. So I kept walking, and I felt like, a pain in my stomach. I didn't know what it was, but I was really scared. I thought I'd done something to the baby. I couldn't take the pain and I felt like I was going to faint, and I doubled over onto the floor, and Nathan came to me. I told him to make sure the baby was okay and that's all I remember before it all went black." I recollected the events that had happened earlier, and explained them to the doctor.

"Good, right, well you don't seem to have any memory loss, which is good. In short, Haley, your blood pressure was very low. Lower than it should have been. We don't know at this point what caused it, so we'll run some tests in a while to try and determine that. It is quite common in young mothers, but it should've been picked up earlier. As I'm sure you've been told we did have to perform an emergency C-section, this was caused by something else. You had what's called a placental abruption. It basically means that the placenta surrounding the baby started to separate. We had to get her out of there for her best chances of survival. She weighed a little more than we expected, which was good. We're going to be keeping you both here for a while to monitor you both."

"How long?" I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to like this.

"It's difficult to judge at this time. Usually, only a week or two, depending on how well you respond to treatment, whether we can be sure you can keep your blood pressure at a normal rate, and whether it's severe enough that you have to stay here a bit longer. But hopefully, if you abide by the rules and do everything that we tell you, you should be able to go home in a few weeks. However, again, I must stress that you should be on bed rest and involved in no strenuous activities."

"Alright. Thank you, doctor. What about my baby?" I asked.

"She's a fighter, I can tell you that. If you rest up and feel up to it in a few hours, you can see her. But for now I need you to stay here. Can you do that?"

"Sure. Anything to see my baby." I smiled.

A few hours later, they left Nathan and me alone to talk. They hadn't been keen on him staying here past visiting hours, but had allowed it in my case, seeing as I begged and pleaded.

"You scared me, you know." He spoke.

"I did?"

"Yeah. When you were in all that pain, and I couldn't do anything, I felt so bad. And when the ambulance arrived and started talking in their technical language, it confused me. I didn't know what was happening to you. I was terrified I'd lose you and the baby."

"I'm not going anywhere." I mustered up the strength for a smile.

"Of course you're not, because you're going to be here for a very long while, making sure you're resting and keeping yourself healthy." He kissed my head and entwined our fingers.

"Don't remind me. I'm really not up for spending weeks in the hospital." I complained.

"You don't have a choice. It's for the baby, remember? It'll be better for her. Plus I'll be here every day. And you'll get visitors. It won't be that bad, I promise."

"I suppose."

Hours passed and as the time went on, things started to get more boring. I didn't have much to do, so Nathan brought me some work from my tutor to do while I was here. I'd told him to go check on the baby, and it had taken some convincing but he'd eventually left and now I was in my room, with Brooke and Peyton visiting, whilst trying to figure out the problems on the sheet in front of me.

"You alright, Hales?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired and bored of math. But it has to be done."

"You'll get it eventually. I can help you if you want?" Peyton suggested.

"Sure." We were trying to figure out the problems for about a half hour before we gave up on them and I turned my laptop on to start my English assignment.

"Come in." I called, hearing a knock on the door a while later. I didn't look up from my work for a moment, before the person started talking.

"Hey." She said, as I looked up and shut my laptop lid down, to pay attention to her.

"Hey, Rachel. What are you doing here?" I asked; confused as to why the girl who'd been my biggest competition for years was in my hospital room.

"I don't actually know myself. I just…when I saw you at the airport, and I saw how much pain you were in, I just felt bad."

"Rachel Gatina feels bad…where's the camera crew because we're obviously being pranked here, right?" Brooke cut in.

"Brooke." I scolded.

"What? We all know she's never sincere."

"Brooke, just let her talk. Maybe she's not so bad."

"Since when do you care about Rachel?"

"Since now!"

"Brooke's right, there's not a sincere bone in her body. Why are you giving her a chance, Haley?"

"Quit it. Just let her talk."

"I'm not kidding you or setting you up. I generally feel bad about what happened to you. I just wanted to see how you were."

"I'm fine."

"You seem it."

We were in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up.

"Sit down, Rachel. You obviously came here for a reason and I'm willing to listen. So go ahead, talk."

"Thanks." She said as she moved another chair beside my bed and sat down on it. "Look, I, um, I wanted to apologise. I know I've been horrible to you since we first started competing, and I'm sorry for it. That's not how I wanted us to be. Back at Worlds, you know, on the first day of competition."

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?" I asked as she looked around at the three of us.

"On my last rotation, I knew you guys were fake cheering for me, but it felt good anyway. I used to watch you guys cheer each other on and I was jealous. You were a real team, and I secretly wanted that."

"So why didn't you do anything about it?"

"Because my mom had put the idea into my head that team didn't matter. Friends didn't matter; it was all about winning the gold or getting the biggest sponsorship. She never really cared about me. She'd given me that idea, and I was too scared to do anything about it. But seeing you guys here now, you care about each other. And I guess, when I saw you hurting, Haley, I forgot my fear of my mom and what she would do if I ever disobeyed her. I competed against you for fifteen years, and in that one moment, I just realized that it was all fake. I never wanted to be against you, to be a bitch to you; all I ever wanted was to be a part of a team like you guys. We don't have that in Charlotte, everyone's all about themselves, not about the team. But you guys are." She said; her voice breaking and a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"And why are you telling us this now?" Brooke asked.

"You've never said anything before." Peyton replied.

"Like I said, I was scared of what my mom would do. But I don't care anymore. I don't care what she thinks. I've been a real bitch to you guys for years, and I just want it to be over. I know I said some horrible things to you, Haley, about Nathan and your relationship and your baby, but I never meant them. And I'm sorry I ever said them. I'm sorry that I persistently went after Nathan even though I knew he loved you. I'm sorry for every bitchy thing I've ever said or done to you, I want to put it all behind us. And Brooke and Peyton, I want us to be friends, too. You're good, and we're going have to compete with each other, like it or not. But I'd prefer it if we did like it. So to all three of you, I'm sorry, okay? I'm not asking you to forgive me, I know I've been a bitch, but I just want a chance to be friends. I want us all to be friends. I want us to start over, and be a _real _team and _real _friends. I know I don't deserve it, but please?" She pleaded, tears flowing freely from her eyes as well as mine, and I'm pretty sure Brooke and Peyton were crying, too.

"Rachel, I…I have to admit, it takes a _lot _of courage to come here and apologise. I admire you for doing it, I'm not sure I could've done that. I can't forgive everything you've done, but I can start over with you. I'm willing to try if you are."

"I'm more than willing. I want to be your friend, Haley."

"Okay then. No more fighting."

"No more fighting." She nodded, with a smile, before looking to Brooke and Peyton. "What about you guys?"

"I guess we're going to have to get on with you. You're our teammate. And there is no I in team. If Haley can forgive you, so can we." Brooke spoke, smiling at her.

"Yeah, me too. I'm willing to start over."

"Thanks, you guys. That really means a lot to me." She smiled.

"It means a lot to me that you had the courage to apologise. Just one thing Rachel: don't let your parents, well, your mom; tell you what to do anymore. It's your life and your career. If you don't want to be a bitch, don't."

"I'll remember that."

"You better." I laughed.

A few days later, I woke up to the sunlight streaming through my curtains and Nathan staring at me.

"Morning, mommy." He laughed.

"Good morning, daddy." I giggled in reply. "How is our little angel?"

"She's breathing on her own; the doctors are amazed at how quickly she's adapted. She's really something."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"Well I didn't exactly tell you everything."

"What do you mean?" He moved his chair out of the way and behind him I saw her. There was our baby, lying in her hospital crib beside me. "Oh my god, is that her?"

"It sure is." And as if on cue, she woke up and started to cry. "And I guess she knows she's here. Do you want her?"

"Of course." I smiled, as he placed her in my arms. It was the first time I'd seen her and held her, so I teared up a little. I let a few stray tears roll down my cheeks as I smiled down at her. "She's beautiful. I can't believe she's all ours."

"I know. You're a natural." He smiled, as she calmed down. "And she already knows who her mom is. Mommy's little girl already." He laughed, stroking her head lightly.

"We're parents, Nathan. She's all ours." I smiled, never taking my eyes off the little girl in my arms.

"She sure is." He replied.

"Hi baby." I spoke to the content little girl I was holding. "Hi, I'm your mommy. And I'm going to love you and cherish you and spoil you more than anyone in the world. I love you so much already, Isabella Skye Scott. And I always will love you. And so is your daddy. You're the best part of my life little Isabella, nothing will ever compare to you." I smiled, with another tear rolling down my cheek as I looked at Nathan.

"Oh Haley you're awake, that's good. I see you've met your daughter." Doctor Pond smiled.

"She's so precious. I never wanna let her go." I smiled, taking her tiny hand in mine.

"It's nice to see you're bonding already. Have you got a name for her?" She asked, picking up my chart and writing a few things.

"We sure do. Her name is Isabella. Isabella Skye Scott." I smiled.

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful baby. She's a fighter, too. Nobody expected her to make a recovery this fast. She's quite remarkable."

"That she is." I smiled as she started to fuss again. "Shhh, baby. It's okay, shhh. It's alright." I crooned as she continued fussing. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing." Doctor Pond replied with a laugh. "She's just hungry. Do you want to feed her?"

"Um…sure." I replied. "Not to sound stupid but um…how exactly does that work?"

"It's okay, Haley. You're only a young mother. Nobody knows how to do it all the first time. Especially at your age. Charlotte here will help you out, tell you what to do and how. You'll get the hang of it eventually."

A few hours later, Isabella was calm again in my arms and we'd been allowed visitors, too.

"Hi there best friend now best friend who's a mom." Brooke smiled as she skipped into the room, over excited as always. I laughed at her eagerness as Peyton, Charlie, Lucas and Tom followed in behind her. "How are you?" She asked as she came over and gave me a hug, as did the rest of them.

"I'm fine. Just a bit sore. But the doctor says it'll pass in a few days. Mostly I'm just happy I've finally got her, you know?" I smiled.

"So?" Charlie smiled. "What's her name?"

"This is Isabella Skye Scott." I smiled, lifting her up slightly so they could see her. "And she's the most beautiful girl in the world. Aren't you my little angel? Yes you are." I grinned, placing a kiss on her head.

"I'm so proud of you, Haley. She's beautiful. Maybe I'll get the chance to coach her in a few years, like I did her mom." Tom smiled.

"Thank you, Tom. That means a lot to me." I smiled in return.

"So, Haley and I have been talking." Nathan started. "And as much as we love you all, we decided on godparents."

"Nathan and I would like for you, Brooke and Lucas, to be Isabella's godparents." I smiled as Brooke teared up a little.

"Haley! Thank you. I'm so honored to be her godmother." She said, hugging me tight, pulling back as I winced slightly. "Sorry, forgot."

"It's alright." I laughed.

"Thank you, Hales. That means so much to me." Lucas smiled, hugging me.

"You're welcome. There's no one we'd trust our baby with more." Nathan replied for me. "And I kinda have a surprise for you."

"Nathan." I warned; he knew I didn't like surprises.

"Trust me."

"Alright." I replied, as he walked to the door and opened it.

"Where are you…?" I stopped as I saw Quinn standing in the doorway "Quinn!" I exclaimed, not expecting her to be here. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at college, in LA."

"I graduated last week. Plus I couldn't not come home once I found out I had a little niece."

"We'll leave you to it." Peyton said, as they all walked out.

"I can't believe you're here."

"Nathan called me and told me everything. I couldn't not come home to see my baby sis and my new niece!" She squealed, sitting beside me. "What's her name?"

"Isabella. Isabella Skye Scott." I smiled.

"That's a beautiful name."

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Of course!" She replied, holding her arms out as I placed Isabella in her arms. "Hales, she's beautiful."

"Thanks." I smiled. "Do mom and dad know you're here?"

"Yeah. I told them you had the baby."

"How'd they take it?"

"Not so good. I don't think they're coming, Hales. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I sighed. "I didn't expect them to; I just thought they would want to know their granddaughter. Even if she was an accident, she couldn't be more right. I just wish they'd see it my way and accept that I've accepted it, and move on."

"You don't need them, Hales. You've got a whole network of support. Me, Brooke, Peyton, Charlie, Lucas, Tom, Nathans parents, Nathan. You've got a whole bunch of people willing to help you out. Hell, even Taylor and Viv will probably be willing to help you out a little when they're around; although maybe it's better to keep Isabella _away _from Taylor." She laughed.

"I know, it's not that. They're my parents, they're supposed to support me and love me no matter what. I just want them to know their granddaughter. If only for her sake." I replied.

"I'll try and talk them round, but I can't promise anything." She said, as she rocked Isabella as she started to cry. "She looks tired."

"Mm, give her to me and I'll put her down." I said, holding my arms out for her.

"Supermom already." She laughed, placing her gently in my arms.

Eventually, I got her off to sleep and placed her back in her make shift crib. The events of the past couple of days were definitely now catching up to me; I now felt the jet lag kick in and the tiredness from the surgery, too.

"Am I boring you?" Quinn laughed, feigning hurt as I yawned.

"No, sorry, Quinn. I'm just really tired. I haven't slept much since we got back."

"Welcome to motherhood." She laughed. "No, I understand. Get some sleep, Hales. I'll go talk to mom and dad."

"Thanks, Quinnie." I replied, yawning once more. "Do me a favor and call Viv and the boys. Preferably leave Taylor out if you can." I laughed slightly. "I wanna see them all."

"Sure. Get some rest."

"Bye, Quinn. Thanks for coming home." I smiled, letting my eyes close and sleep wash over me.

A few hours later, I woke to the sound of Isabella crying. I didn't know where Nathan was, he was probably at home sleeping. I picked her up and rocked her to calm her down, before she settled in my arms. I was smiling down at her, stroking her small head when I heard people walking into the room. I didn't expect visitors. Especially not these ones.

"What are you doing here?" I said as I looked up, only to see my parents looking back at me.

"Quinn told us you were here, and that you wanted to see us." My mom answered nervously.

"I wanted you to meet your granddaughter. Not that you deserve to after you chucked us both out when I told you. I know you were disappointed and believe me I was scared out of my mind, but did you have to go that far?"

"We're sorry, Haley. We just want you to be happy."

"I am happy! With Nathan and our daughter, and that's the end of it. Sorry isn't going to cut it; you kicked me out of my own house, when I needed you the most. I was scared senseless, and I just needed my mom to give me a hug and tell me that it would all be okay, even if it wasn't! That we would find a way to sort it out, that we'd face it together, that you'd support me no matter what! I just needed my mom, and you weren't there! You weren't there and you just let dad throw me out because he thinks he's doing what's right for me! You just stood back and you let him do that!" I cried, never really having had a chance to let it out before now.

"Don't blame this on your mother, Haley. You were the one who went out and got herself a boyfriend, despite knowing you're not allowed one. And then having sex with him! And letting him get you pregnant! Are you completely stupid, Haley! How could you do that? You ruined your whole career. You are to blame for this." Cut in my dad.

"I'm sorry, okay! I'm sorry for being such a disappointment, and I'm sorry I couldn't be more perfect like Quinn or Vivian. I'm sorry I pulled a Taylor and had sex okay? But I didn't want it to happen. I was just in love, and I still am. Can't you just understand that? Love makes people do crazy things, surely you know that? You were young once, you must've done something crazy for love. Like I know it's not on the same scale, but surely you had to understand? I know I should've taken it more seriously but what's done is done and we can't change that. I just want my parents back." I choked out, trying not to cry and wake the sleeping baby in my arms. "If you came here you must still care. Please, can we just try and get along? For her sake, not mine." I pleaded, referring to Isabella.

"Haley, you made a seriously stupid mistake. You know that you'll never get back into gymnastics again now, don't you?" He replied.

"Yes, dad. I know I'll never do gymnastics again. And it's killing me inside knowing that I won't be able to do what I love, but I have something else to do with my time now. I'll never be _happy _that I lost gymnastics, but I love Isabella, and I owe it to her to be the best mother that I can be. So yes, I know that I've lost it, and yes I know that I'll never get it back, but I have a new top priority now. And I just want to share it with you. I know it's not going to be easy, and I know that being a teen mother will be hard. And I know that you're not just going to pretend it's all okay and forgive me like that, I know it'll take time, but can we at least try? Can we try to have a relationship? I don't want to lose my parents, and I don't want Isabella to not know her grandparents. Please?" I pleaded with them.

"Haley…." He sighed. "It's not going to be that easy. I can't just forgive you, you might be okay with this but I'm not. I've watched you do gymnastics since you were three years old, and now it's gone it's hard for me to accept that. Maybe if you have, I should, but it's like you're a different person. My Haley would've never got a boyfriend in the first place, let alone let him get her pregnant."

"I know, daddy, and I'm sorry. Just please? I want my parents back. I just need my mom and dad. I'm still only eighteen. I still need you. I still need my parents. Can we at least try?" I begged, tears falling from my eyes.

"We can try. I can't promise you anything, we're both disappointed in you, Haley, but it's obvious you still need some guidance and you're still only eighteen. It's not going to be how it used to be, you know that. But if you want us to give it a go, I'm willing to try." My mom spoke up.

"Thank you, mom. You don't know how much that means to me." I half smiled. "Daddy?"

"I can't…right now. Right now, it's a bit too much for me to take in. My baby, my little girl has her own little girl. And she's only eighteen. This is very hard for me, Haley. Just see what happens in time."

And with that, they both left my room. I felt some sort of relief inside of me, as if a weight had been lifted. I knew the air would never truly be clean with my parents, but at least we were off to a start.

_Three months later_

For the last three months, we've been getting used to family life. It hasn't been the easiest of rides for us, but we're starting to get it down. Nathan returned to his training as normal, while I stayed home looking after Isabella. I stayed in hospital for a total of two weeks after the surgery, recovering from that and getting help with raising my blood pressure.

While in the hospital, they measured my blood pressure every six hours to check it was where it should be. It was one of the worst hospital experiences I've had; having them check for the same things four times a day was not something I was best pleased with. It had to be done, and they'd agreed to discharge me as long as I kept up the regular checks of my blood pressure and kept it at a stable rate. I agreed despite the hassle, desperate to be let out from there.

We settled in pretty quickly with the baby, but that doesn't mean that it was easy. We just had a routine that we stuck too, because it seemed to work well enough. Isabella cried a lot, and sometimes it would get too much for us in the first few days we had her home, but we sorted it out quick enough. I got up when she cried during the night and in the mornings, while Nathan slept so he had energy for practice the next morning. When he came home from practice, he'd take Isabella while I slept, usually having been up all night.

We'd got the routine down at home, and then faced the challenge of trying to fit college in with it all. We started college right on time; as Isabella was early it was easier for us to travel there.

The first few weeks were incredibly difficult for us, fitting in classes with a six week old baby was more than difficult. We managed to make it work though, as Nathan and I had classes at different points in the day, we'd switch who looked after the baby to fit in with our schedules. Nathan was practicing nearly every afternoon, and most of the day on Saturdays. Sunday was his day off, just as it was at home, and we'd spend it together as it was the only day we got to be a family without interruptions.

Family life was great, we were happier than ever with our new addition and our engagement continued steadily. It didn't help the fact that I missed gymnastics, though. I tried accepting it, but it proved harder than I thought it would be. Seeing Nathan practice every day and watching him in competition only made the realization that I'd lost it a lot stronger. I came to terms with the fact I'd never compete again, but I'd never fully accept it. It was hard for me, but I knew I'd have to get used to it.

Brooke had decided to attend NYU, as she was a keen fashion designer as well as a great gymnast, and her parents paid out for her to attend there. Julian wanted to support her, and had discovered NYU offered a great program for budding film makers, and he took that opportunity and followed Brooke to New York.

Peyton was working on an internship in California at one of the biggest record labels in the country. She still kept up her gymnastics in her free time, and now trained with a gym there when she wasn't working. She seemed to like her job enough, and one day hoped when her career was over that she'd have a job like that.

Lucas came with us to Duke, and he was taking classes in Literature, as besides his career, he had an interest in literature. His dorm was in the next block, and he roomed with two other guys; Aiden and Joshua. They were getting on great and although they didn't all like the same things, they found some common grounds in the fact that they all played some kind of sport. The guys are nice enough, I don't hang out with them a lot but I see them around and they're usually there when I visit Lucas, so a friendship was kind of formed there.

Charlie and Chase were still back home in Tree Hill training at the gym, and Charlie had been named this year's Women's National all-around Champion. She chose to stay just friends with Chase, after deciding at Nationals that her focus needed to be on gymnastics. I asked her if she ever saw them together in the future and she hadn't given a definite answer, so give it time and she'll find a way.

My relationship with my parents has improved, and although they will never fully forgive me, we'd started a clean slate and seemed to be getting on better each day. My family were less than impressed with the whole situation, but everybody seemed to be warming too it and that's all I wanted.

We had yet to discuss any sort of wedding plans, as we both decided we'd just get married when we felt the time was right, and we'd start making plans then. We both knew that just being together was what made us happy, and there was no rush to get married.

After all, we have forever to be together.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: Hi guys! I can't believe this is the second to last time I'm ever going to write an AN for this story. Sadly, our journeys come to an end. Well, not quite yet as the epilogue is still to come, but this is the last chapter of the story. I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I have had writing this. I'll do all my proper thank yous and proper last AN next chapter. Anywho, I had a wonderful weekend with my girls last weekend, and I now realise that it's not about being the bleach blonde social butterfly queen, it's about having friends you can trust. And I have three of them, quality over quantity. But I do have my other best friends spread sparadically around the country/world, you know who you are. **

** These past two days I've been dealing with some personal issues, involving some bitches I used to be friends with, so I'm _very _pissed off today. But I'm not gonna let them bring me down. **

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**Enjoy the last chapter! And don't forget to review!**

Chapter 41

I felt my eyes open slightly a while later, and found myself staring into bright white. I didn't quite know what I was staring at, but I squinted all the same, as the brightness was hurting my eyes. I heard multiple voices around me, but I was more focused on the hand that was holding mine, I'd recognize it anywhere. _Nathan was here. _

"Haley? Baby, can you hear me? Hales, if you can hear me, respond to me, squeeze my hand or something. Please, baby." He pleaded, as I tried to squeeze his hand. It was only very lightly, but it felt like I was using every ounce of strength I had.

I adjusted my eyes to the brightness of the room, before looking up at Nathan.

"What…what are you doing here?" I asked.

"You didn't think I was going to leave my girl in pain, did you? I promised you I'd love you forever, and they would've had to drag me kicking and screaming if they wanted me anywhere but here, because there's no way I'm leaving you." He smiled slightly, moving a stray piece of hair out of my face.

"What…what about…what about the baby?" I stammered.

"She's fine. The doctor said that your blood pressure was lower than it should be or something. I don't know all the technical stuff but she said that was what was causing the pain, but it was quite serious. They had to perform an emergency C-section. You have to stay here for a while." He explained. "The doctor will explain later."

"Is she okay? The baby?"

"She was born four weeks early, but they thought if they left her in there that she wouldn't get the oxygen or the things she needed. They said it would be safer for you and her to get her out. She's in the premature baby ward at the moment, but the doctor says she's fighting."

"What does she look like?"

"She's beautiful. She looks just like you. She has your eyes, bright and blue, really big. Just like her mom. She weighed 6 and half pounds, which was a bit more than they expected, but they said it would increase her chances. She's so beautiful, Hales." He grinned, with a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet. The doctor said you have to stay put for a while."

I nodded in response before he placed a kiss on my head and took my hand in his own. "I need to get the doctor. Will you be alright for a minute?"

"I'm fine." I laughed slightly, stopping abruptly. "I'll be fine. Just go."

He returned in less than a minute, with a doctor in tow.

"Hello, Haley. Nice to see you awake. I'm Doctor Pond, and I'll be looking after you for a while, whilst you're here, okay?" She smiled, as I nodded in response. "Good. Right, do you have any memory of what happened?"

"Um…I was at the airport. We just got off our flight back from London." I started.

"I'm aware of your travel plans, Haley. I need you to tell me what you remember."

"Okay, sorry. Um…so we were at the airport. We got passed security and we were waiting to get our luggage. I felt like something wasn't right while we were walking, but I ignored it because I thought it was no big deal. So I kept walking, and I felt like, a pain in my stomach. I didn't know what it was, but I was really scared. I thought I'd done something to the baby. I couldn't take the pain and I felt like I was going to faint, and I doubled over onto the floor, and Nathan came to me. I told him to make sure the baby was okay and that's all I remember before it all went black." I recollected the events that had happened earlier, and explained them to the doctor.

"Good, right, well you don't seem to have any memory loss, which is good. In short, Haley, your blood pressure was very low. Lower than it should have been. We don't know at this point what caused it, so we'll run some tests in a while to try and determine that. It is quite common in young mothers, but it should've been picked up earlier. As I'm sure you've been told we did have to perform an emergency C-section, this was caused by something else. You had what's called a placental abruption. It basically means that the placenta surrounding the baby started to separate. We had to get her out of there for her best chances of survival. She weighed a little more than we expected, which was good. We're going to be keeping you both here for a while to monitor you both."

"How long?" I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to like this.

"It's difficult to judge at this time. Usually, only a week or two, depending on how well you respond to treatment, whether we can be sure you can keep your blood pressure at a normal rate, and whether it's severe enough that you have to stay here a bit longer. But hopefully, if you abide by the rules and do everything that we tell you, you should be able to go home in a few weeks. However, again, I must stress that you should be on bed rest and involved in no strenuous activities."

"Alright. Thank you, doctor. What about my baby?" I asked.

"She's a fighter, I can tell you that. If you rest up and feel up to it in a few hours, you can see her. But for now I need you to stay here. Can you do that?"

"Sure. Anything to see my baby." I smiled.

* * *

A few hours later, they left Nathan and me alone to talk. They hadn't been keen on him staying here past visiting hours, but had allowed it in my case, seeing as I begged and pleaded.

"You scared me, you know." He spoke.

"I did?"

"Yeah. When you were in all that pain, and I couldn't do anything, I felt so bad. And when the ambulance arrived and started talking in their technical language, it confused me. I didn't know what was happening to you. I was terrified I'd lose you and the baby."

"I'm not going anywhere." I mustered up the strength for a smile.

"Of course you're not, because you're going to be here for a very long while, making sure you're resting and keeping yourself healthy." He kissed my head and entwined our fingers.

"Don't remind me. I'm really not up for spending weeks in the hospital." I complained.

"You don't have a choice. It's for the baby, remember? It'll be better for her. Plus I'll be here every day. And you'll get visitors. It won't be that bad, I promise."

"I suppose."

* * *

Hours passed and as the time went on, things started to get more boring. I didn't have much to do, so Nathan brought me some work from my tutor to do while I was here. I'd told him to go check on the baby, and it had taken some convincing but he'd eventually left and now I was in my room, with Brooke and Peyton visiting, whilst trying to figure out the problems on the sheet in front of me.

"You alright, Hales?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired and bored of math. But it has to be done."

"You'll get it eventually. I can help you if you want?" Peyton suggested.

"Sure." We were trying to figure out the problems for about a half hour before we gave up on them and I turned my laptop on to start my English assignment.

"Come in." I called, hearing a knock on the door a while later. I didn't look up from my work for a moment, before the person started talking.

"Hey." She said, as I looked up and shut my laptop lid down, to pay attention to her.

"Hey, Rachel. What are you doing here?" I asked; confused as to why the girl who'd been my biggest competition for years was in my hospital room.

"I don't actually know myself. I just…when I saw you at the airport, and I saw how much pain you were in, I just felt bad."

"Rachel Gatina feels bad…where's the camera crew because we're obviously being pranked here, right?" Brooke cut in.

"Brooke." I scolded.

"What? We all know she's never sincere."

"Brooke, just let her talk. Maybe she's not so bad."

"Since when do you care about Rachel?"

"Since now!"

"Brooke's right, there's not a sincere bone in her body. Why are you giving her a chance, Haley?"

"Quit it. Just let her talk."

"I'm not kidding you or setting you up. I generally feel bad about what happened to you. I just wanted to see how you were."

"I'm fine."

"You seem it."

We were in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up.

"Sit down, Rachel. You obviously came here for a reason and I'm willing to listen. So go ahead, talk."

"Thanks." She said as she moved another chair beside my bed and sat down on it. "Look, I, um, I wanted to apologise. I know I've been horrible to you since we first started competing, and I'm sorry for it. That's not how I wanted us to be. Back at Worlds, you know, on the first day of competition."

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?" I asked as she looked around at the three of us.

"On my last rotation, I knew you guys were fake cheering for me, but it felt good anyway. I used to watch you guys cheer each other on and I was jealous. You were a real team, and I secretly wanted that."

"So why didn't you do anything about it?"

"Because my mom had put the idea into my head that team didn't matter. Friends didn't matter; it was all about winning the gold or getting the biggest sponsorship. She never really cared about me. She'd given me that idea, and I was too scared to do anything about it. But seeing you guys here now, you care about each other. And I guess, when I saw you hurting, Haley, I forgot my fear of my mom and what she would do if I ever disobeyed her. I competed against you for fifteen years, and in that one moment, I just realized that it was all fake. I never wanted to be against you, to be a bitch to you; all I ever wanted was to be a part of a team like you guys. We don't have that in Charlotte, everyone's all about themselves, not about the team. But you guys are." She said; her voice breaking and a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"And why are you telling us this now?" Brooke asked.

"You've never said anything before." Peyton replied.

"Like I said, I was scared of what my mom would do. But I don't care anymore. I don't care what she thinks. I've been a real bitch to you guys for years, and I just want it to be over. I know I said some horrible things to you, Haley, about Nathan and your relationship and your baby, but I never meant them. And I'm sorry I ever said them. I'm sorry that I persistently went after Nathan even though I knew he loved you. I'm sorry for every bitchy thing I've ever said or done to you, I want to put it all behind us. And Brooke and Peyton, I want us to be friends, too. You're good, and we're going have to compete with each other, like it or not. But I'd prefer it if we did like it. So to all three of you, I'm sorry, okay? I'm not asking you to forgive me, I know I've been a bitch, but I just want a chance to be friends. I want us all to be friends. I want us to start over, and be a _real _team and _real _friends. I know I don't deserve it, but please?" She pleaded, tears flowing freely from her eyes as well as mine, and I'm pretty sure Brooke and Peyton were crying, too.

"Rachel, I…I have to admit, it takes a _lot _of courage to come here and apologise. I admire you for doing it, I'm not sure I could've done that. I can't forgive everything you've done, but I can start over with you. I'm willing to try if you are."

"I'm more than willing. I want to be your friend, Haley."

"Okay then. No more fighting."

"No more fighting." She nodded, with a smile, before looking to Brooke and Peyton. "What about you guys?"

"I guess we're going to have to get on with you. You're our teammate. And there is no I in team. If Haley can forgive you, so can we." Brooke spoke, smiling at her.

"Yeah, me too. I'm willing to start over."

"Thanks, you guys. That really means a lot to me." She smiled.

"It means a lot to me that you had the courage to apologise. Just one thing Rachel: don't let your parents, well, your mom; tell you what to do anymore. It's your life and your career. If you don't want to be a bitch, don't."

"I'll remember that."

"You better."

* * *

A few weeks later, I woke up to the sunlight streaming through my curtains and Nathan staring at me. I'd been staying here for at least two weeks now; they said it was best for my health as well as Isabella's that they kept us here. The doctors were right when they said she was a fighter, she'd been adapting very quickly, considering she was premature. I still haven't had the chance to see her, they've been keeping me on strict bed rest for two weeks now, and no matter how much I begged or pleaded, they were insistent that it stayed that way until I was well enough to leave. Nathan had been staying with her every night, keeping a watch over her when I couldn't. He was reluctant to leave me at first, but I told him it was for the best. And it was, I'd rather he watched our daughter sleeping and spending the night with her so she's not alone than be with me.

"Morning, mommy." He laughed.

"Good morning, daddy." I giggled in reply. "How is our little angel?"

"She's breathing on her own; the doctors are amazed at how quickly she's adapted. She's really something."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"Well I didn't exactly tell you everything."

"What do you mean?" He moved his chair out of the way and behind him I saw her. There was our baby, lying in her hospital crib beside me. "Oh my god, is that her?"

"It sure is." And as if on cue, she woke up and started to cry. "And I guess she knows she's here. Do you want her?"

"Of course." I smiled, as he placed her in my arms. It was the first time I'd seen her and held her, so I teared up a little. I let a few stray tears roll down my cheeks as I smiled down at her. "She's so beautiful. I can't believe she's all ours."

"I know. You're a natural." He smiled, as she calmed down. "And she already knows who her mom is. Mommy's little girl already." He laughed, stroking her head lightly.

"We're parents, Nathan. She's all ours." I smiled, never taking my eyes off the little girl in my arms.

"She sure is." He replied.

"Hi baby." I spoke to the content little girl I was holding. "Hi, I'm your mommy. And I'm going to love you and cherish you and spoil you more than anyone in the world. I love you so much already, Isabella Skye Scott. And I always will love you. And so is your daddy. You're the best part of my life Isabella, nothing will ever compare to you." I smiled, with another tear rolling down my cheek as I looked at Nathan.

"Oh Haley you're awake, that's good. I see you've met your daughter." Doctor Pond smiled.

"She's so precious. I never wanna let her go." I smiled, taking her tiny hand in mine.

"It's nice to see you're bonding already. Have you got a name for her?" She asked, picking up my chart and writing a few things.

"We sure do. Her name is Isabella. Isabella Skye Scott." I smiled.

"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful baby. She's a fighter, too. Nobody expected her to make a recovery this fast. She's quite remarkable."

"That she is." I smiled as she started to fuss again. "Shhh, baby. It's okay, shhh. It's alright." I crooned as she continued fussing. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing." Doctor Pond replied with a laugh. "She's just hungry. Do you want to feed her?"

"Um…sure." I replied. "Not to sound stupid but um…how exactly does that work?"

"It's okay, Haley. You're only a young mother. Nobody knows how to do it all the first time. Especially at your age. Charlotte here will help you out, tell you what to do and how. You'll get the hang of it eventually."

* * *

A few hours later, Isabella was calm again in my arms and we'd been allowed visitors, too.

"Hi there best friend now best friend who's a mom." Brooke smiled as she skipped into the room, over excited as always. I laughed at her eagerness as Peyton, Charlie, Lucas and Tom followed in behind her. "How are you?" She asked as she came over and gave me a hug, as did the rest of them.

"I'm fine. Just a bit sore. But the doctor says it'll pass in a few days. Mostly I'm just happy I've finally got her, you know?" I smiled.

"So?" Charlie smiled. "What's her name?"

"This is Isabella Skye Scott." I smiled, lifting her up slightly so they could see her. "And she's the most beautiful girl in the world. Aren't you my little angel? Yes you are." I grinned, placing a kiss on her head.

"I'm so proud of you, Haley. She's beautiful. Maybe I'll get the chance to coach her in a few years, like I did her mom." Tom smiled.

"Thank you, Tom. That means a lot to me." I smiled in return.

"So, Haley and I have been talking." Nathan started. "And as much as we love you all, we decided on godparents."

"Nathan and I would like for you, Brooke and Lucas, to be Isabella's godparents." I smiled as Brooke teared up a little.

"Haley! Thank you. I'm so honored to be her godmother." She said, hugging me tight, pulling back as I winced slightly. "Sorry, forgot."

"It's alright." I laughed.

"Thank you, Hales. That means so much to me." Lucas smiled, hugging me.

"You're welcome. There's no one we'd trust our baby with more." Nathan replied for me. "And I kinda have a surprise for you."

"Nathan." I warned; he knew I didn't like surprises.

"Trust me."

"Alright." I replied, as he walked to the door and opened it.

"Where are you…?" I stopped as I saw Quinn standing in the doorway "Quinn!" I exclaimed, not expecting her to be here. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at college, in LA."

"I graduated last week. Plus I couldn't not come home once I found out I had a little niece."

"We'll leave you to it." Peyton said, as they all walked out.

"I can't believe you're here."

"Nathan called me and told me everything. I couldn't not come home to see my baby sis and my new niece!" She squealed, sitting beside me. "What's her name?"

"Isabella. Isabella Skye Scott." I smiled.

"That's a beautiful name."

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Of course!" She replied, holding her arms out as I placed Isabella in her arms. "Hales, she's beautiful."

"Thanks." I smiled. "Do mom and dad know you're here?"

"Yeah. I told them you had the baby."

"How'd they take it?"

"Not so good. I don't think they're coming, Hales. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I sighed. "I didn't expect them to; I just thought they would want to know their granddaughter. Even if she was an accident, she couldn't be more right. I just wish they'd see it my way and accept that I've accepted it, and move on."

"You don't need them, Hales. You've got a whole network of support. Me, Brooke, Peyton, Charlie, Lucas, Tom, Nathans parents, Nathan. You've got a whole bunch of people willing to help you out. Hell, even Taylor and Viv will probably be willing to help you out a little when they're around; although maybe it's better to keep Isabella _away _from Taylor." She laughed.

"I know, it's not that. They're my parents, they're supposed to support me and love me no matter what. I just want them to know their granddaughter. If only for her sake." I replied.

"I'll try and talk them round, but I can't promise anything." She said, as she rocked Isabella as she started to cry. "She looks tired."

"Mm, give her to me and I'll put her down." I said, holding my arms out for her.

"Supermom already." She laughed, placing her gently in my arms.

Eventually, I got her off to sleep and placed her back in her make shift crib.

"Am I boring you?" Quinn laughed, feigning hurt as I yawned.

"No, sorry, Quinn. I'm just really tired. I haven't slept much."

"Welcome to motherhood." She laughed. "No, I understand. Get some sleep, Hales. I'll go talk to mom and dad."

"Thanks, Quinnie." I replied, yawning once more. "Do me a favor and call Viv and the boys. Preferably leave Taylor out if you can." I laughed slightly. "I wanna see them all."

"Sure. Get some rest."

"Bye, Quinn. Thanks for coming home." I smiled, letting my eyes close and sleep wash over me.

* * *

A few hours later, I woke to the sound of Isabella crying. I didn't know where Nathan was, he was probably at home sleeping. I picked her up and rocked her to calm her down, before she settled in my arms. I was smiling down at her, stroking her small head when I heard people walking into the room. I didn't expect visitors. Especially not these ones.

"What are you doing here?" I said as I looked up, only to see my parents looking back at me.

"Quinn told us you were here, and that you wanted to see us." My mom answered nervously.

"I wanted you to meet your granddaughter. Not that you deserve to after you chucked us both out when I told you. I know you were disappointed and believe me I was scared out of my mind, but did you have to go that far?"

"We're sorry, Haley. We just want you to be happy."

"I am happy! With Nathan and our daughter, and that's the end of it. Sorry isn't going to cut it; you kicked me out of my own house, when I needed you the most. I was scared senseless, and I just needed my mom to give me a hug and tell me that it would all be okay, even if it wasn't! That we would find a way to sort it out, that we'd face it together, that you'd support me no matter what! I just needed my mom, and you weren't there! You weren't there and you just let dad throw me out because he thinks he's doing what's right for me! You just stood back and you let him do that!" I cried, never really having had a chance to let it out before now.

"Don't blame this on your mother, Haley. You were the one who went out and got herself a boyfriend, despite knowing you're not allowed one. And then having sex with him! And letting him get you pregnant! Are you completely stupid, Haley! How could you do that? You ruined your whole career. You are to blame for this." Cut in my dad.

"I'm sorry, okay! I'm sorry for being such a disappointment, and I'm sorry I couldn't be more perfect like Quinn or Vivian. I'm sorry I pulled a Taylor and had sex okay? But I didn't want it to happen. I was just in love, and I still am. Can't you just understand that? Love makes people do crazy things, surely you know that? You were young once, you must've done something crazy for love. Like I know it's not on the same scale, but surely you had to understand? I know I should've taken it more seriously but what's done is done and we can't change that. I just want my parents back." I choked out, trying not to cry and wake the sleeping baby in my arms. "If you came here you must still care. Please, can we just try and get along? For her sake, not mine." I pleaded, referring to Isabella.

"Haley, you made a seriously stupid mistake. You know that you'll never get back into gymnastics again now, don't you?" He replied.

"I know I'll never do gymnastics again. And it's killing me inside knowing that I won't be able to do what I love, but I have something else to do with my time now. I'll never be _happy _that I lost gymnastics, but I love Isabella, and I owe it to her to be the best mother that I can be. So yes, I know that I've lost it, and yes I know that I'll never get it back, but I have a new top priority now. And I just want to share it with you. I know it's not going to be easy, and I know that being a teen mother will be hard. And I know that you're not just going to pretend it's all okay and forgive me like that, I know it'll take time, but can we at least try? Can we try to have a relationship? I don't want to lose my parents, and I don't want Isabella to not know her grandparents. Please?" I pleaded with them.

"Haley…." He sighed. "It's not going to be that easy. I can't just forgive you, you might be okay with this but I'm not. I've watched you do gymnastics since you were three years old, and now it's gone it's hard for me to accept that. Maybe if you have, I should, but it's like you're a different person. My Haley would've never got a boyfriend in the first place, let alone let him get her pregnant."

"I know, daddy, and I'm sorry. Just please? I want my parents back. I just need my mom and dad. I'm still only eighteen. I still need you. I still need my parents. Can we at least try?" I begged, tears falling from my eyes.

"We can try. I can't promise you anything, we're both disappointed in you, Haley, but it's obvious you still need some guidance and you're still only eighteen. It's not going to be how it used to be, you know that. But if you want us to give it a go, I'm willing to try." My mom spoke up.

"Thank you, mom. You don't know how much that means to me." I half smiled. "Daddy?"

"I can't…right now. Right now, it's a bit too much for me to take in. My baby, my little girl has her own little girl. And she's only eighteen. This is very hard for me, Haley. Just see what happens in time."

And with that, they both left my room. I felt some sort of relief inside of me, as if a weight had been lifted. I knew the air would never truly be clean with my parents, but at least we were off to a start.

* * *

After my parents had left, it wasn't long before I was greeted with some more visitors. I'd forgotten Dan and Deb had yet to see Isabella, so when they entered my room it took me a while to figure out they were here for her as well as myself.

"Hello, Haley." Dan greeted with a smile.

"Hi." Deb smiles.

"Hi." I replied, rocking the baby in my arms.

"How are you? You feeling okay?" Deb asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We're all fine." I smiled, looking over down at Isabella.

"Is that our beautiful granddaughter?" Dan asks, looking over to us.

"It sure is. Do you want to hold her?" I ask him, as Isabella settles and stops fussing.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, Isabella loves her grandpa Dan already, don't you baby?" I speak softly to her, placing a kiss on her forehead before placing her in her grandfather's arms.

"Thank you, Haley." He smiles in appreciation as Isabella gurgles happily. "Hi baby." He speaks softly to her. "Aren't you beautiful? You look just like your mom don't you? Yes you do." He croons to her, tapping her nose and smiling gently as she gurgles with happiness. "She really is amazing." He directs the statement to me, and I smile in return.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott. I'm glad Isabella can have at least one set of grandparents." I replied.

"So are you still on bad terms with your parents?" Deb asks.

"Kind of. Quinn convinced them to come see me and Isabella earlier, so at least it was a start. But my dad is still unwelcoming to the idea of having a grandchild when I'm only eighteen. I suppose he's right, really, and I understand why he's still upset, but I wish he and my mom would come around to love Isabella. I still need my parents, you know?" I sighed, thinking of the earlier conversation with my parents.

"We understand, Haley. And you know we're happy to see you and Isabella any time. There's a reason we allowed you to stay with us throughout your pregnancy, and there's a reason for Isabella having a nursery at our house. You're welcome to stay with us or visit us whenever you like." She comforts, placing a hand on my arm with a soft smile.

"Thank you. To both of you. I never really thanked you properly for letting me stay with you guys. It means a lot to me that you let me stay, and that I can still stay with you for a few more weeks before we head to Duke. I'm especially grateful for you guys, you've been really kind to me. I'm sorry you'll have to wake up in the middle of the night to Isabella crying and Nathan and I trying to calm her down." I laughed.

"You're welcome, Haley. Remember what I told you? You're family now. And family sticks together." Dan smiled. "You're already like a daughter to me, and I couldn't think of anyone better suited for my son. You're good for Nathan, Haley. I couldn't be prouder of the both of you if I tried. Congratulations."

And it was in those few moments that I knew no matter what happened, we'd all be fine.

* * *

_Three months later_

For the last three months, we've been getting used to family life. It hasn't been the easiest of rides for us, but we're starting to get it down. Nathan returned to his training as normal, while I stayed home looking after Isabella. I stayed in hospital for a total of three weeks after the surgery, recovering from that and getting help with raising my blood pressure.

While in the hospital, they measured my blood pressure every six hours to check it was where it should be. It was one of the worst hospital experiences I've had; having them check for the same things four times a day was not something I was best pleased with. It had to be done, and they'd agreed to discharge me as long as I kept up the regular checks of my blood pressure and kept it at a stable rate. I agreed despite the hassle, desperate to be let out from there.

We settled in pretty quickly with the baby, but that doesn't mean that it was easy. We just had a routine that we stuck too, because it seemed to work well enough. Isabella cried a lot, and sometimes it would get too much for us in the first few days we had her home, but we sorted it out quick enough. I got up when she cried during the night and in the mornings, while Nathan slept so he had energy for practice the next morning. When he came home from practice, he'd take Isabella while I slept, usually having been up all night.

We'd got the routine down at home, and then faced the challenge of trying to fit college in with it all. We started college right on time; as Isabella was early it was easier for us to travel there.

The first few weeks were incredibly difficult for us, fitting in classes with a six week old baby was more than difficult. We managed to make it work though, as Nathan and I had classes at different points in the day, we'd switch who looked after the baby to fit in with our schedules. Nathan was practicing nearly every afternoon, and most of the day on Saturdays. Sunday was his day off, just as it was at home, and we'd spend it together as it was the only day we got to be a family without interruptions.

Family life was great, we were happier than ever with our new addition and our engagement continued steadily. It didn't help the fact that I missed gymnastics, though. I tried accepting it, but it proved harder than I thought it would be. Seeing Nathan practice every day and watching him in competition only made the realization that I'd lost it a lot stronger. I came to terms with the fact I'd never compete again, but I'd never fully accept it. It was hard for me, but I knew I'd have to get used to it.

Brooke had decided to attend NYU, as she was a keen fashion designer as well as a great gymnast, and her parents paid out for her to attend there. Julian wanted to support her, and had discovered NYU offered a great program for budding film makers, and he took that opportunity and followed Brooke to New York.

Peyton was working on an internship in California at one of the biggest record labels in the country. She still kept up her gymnastics in her free time, and now trained with a gym there when she wasn't working. She seemed to like her job enough, and one day hoped when her career was over that she'd have a job like that.

Lucas came with us to Duke, and he was taking classes in Literature, as besides his career, he had an interest in literature. His dorm was in the next block, and he roomed with two other guys; Aiden and Joshua. They were getting on great and although they didn't all like the same things, they found some common grounds in the fact that they all played some kind of sport. The guys are nice enough, I don't hang out with them a lot but I see them around and they're usually there when I visit Lucas, so a friendship was kind of formed there.

Charlie and Chase were still back home in Tree Hill training at the gym, and Charlie had been named this year's Women's National all-around Champion. She chose to stay just friends with Chase, after deciding at Nationals that her focus needed to be on gymnastics. I asked her if she ever saw them together in the future and she hadn't given a definite answer, so give it time and she'll find a way.

My relationship with my parents has improved, and although they will never fully forgive me, we'd started a clean slate and seemed to be getting on better each day. My family were less than impressed with the whole situation, but everybody seemed to be warming too it and that's all I wanted.

We had yet to discuss any sort of wedding plans, as we both decided we'd just get married when we felt the time was right, and we'd start making plans then. We both knew that just being together was what made us happy, and there was no rush to get married.

After all, we have forever to be together.

**Review! I hope you liked it. :-)**


	42. The Epilogue

**A/N: ****So this is it, the last of the chapters. The very last. I can't believe how far we've come since the beginning of Chapter 1, when I was just a silly 14 year old girl hoping for attention. (Okay so now I'm only 15, and I make it sound like I'm older but yeah, you get my drift). Writing to me has always been a part of my life, and I hope in the future that it continues to be. I wasn't very good at first, and I like to think that this has been the wake up call for me, and has helped me to improve on my writing. **

**I apologise for some of the ANs I've posted, I'm sure none of you _actually _care about my life, I'm just a hormonal teenage girl who thinks that every little thing seems to be the end of the world, or at least the end of mine. But to those of you that have taken the time to PM me when I'm down, I thank you for that so much. You've got no idea how much it meant to me, and even if only for a minute it put a smile on my face. I'd hope that you realise I would happily do the same for you, if you were to ever be upset.**

**Next, I need to thank everyone who's ever reviewed my story, you're the one's who've made it what it is, you gave me the inspiration to continue.**

_haleydavisbaker, illicitencounters, jess/daddy, becky/wifey, KTxx/Katie, mmjasamjaudia4eva, hey-torch, Laura, mazzy, Libby (even though you complained alot, I still need to thank you lol), ObsessivePrincess/Ashley, hannahssmith, naley12/Zara, LaffertyGirl85, windycloudcakes, pam211, inlovewithCMandOTH, G-styler, shelleylovesnaley, Godschildtweety._

**Special Thank You's:**

**othfan1919 - **Shay, I love you to bits. You're one of my best friends, and you've been there for me whenever I've needed you. When I was down about bitches in school, when I was scared for my safety during the riots, and then again with petty bitches. You're just, I can't put into words what you are to me. You're like a sister to me, I don't know whether older or younger because you never actually told me your birthday/age ;) The point is, I love you to bits. You've helped me improve writing, by betaing all my chapters from 11 onwards...you're amazing. You've given me ideas to write when my inspiration was 0, you've been a beta, a best friend and a sister to me throughout the course of the time (I sound well posh, you know I'm just an essex girl bahahaha) that I've known you. I couldn't ask for a better beta (hehe), best friend or a sister than you. You mean so much to me, please don't ever change, COS YOU'RE AMAZING, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (cue bruno mars) and I love you. I hope to be friends with you forever, and I hope someday, I fulfill my dream of visiting your side of the Earth and actually getting to meet you! I love you sis, there's always a place for you in my room ;) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**KTxx** - I don't quite know what happened between us, but I feel like we kinda drifted apart a little. But hey, you still get a mention because you're _awesome _and I love you! I'm sorry for never deleting your tags when I reblogged you, I'm just too lazy hahaha. You seem so mature for your age, I can't believe we're like, the same age. (well ish). Thanks for going to review all of my chapters when we first started talking :P Love you :) xo

**ObsessivePrincess - **I don't even know where to start with you. You've known me since I was 12 years old, just an annoying, whiney little year 7 seeking attention. I lied to you about everything...I only wanted you to like me, LOL. I told you everything, and then there was that time I stayed up past midnight talking to you and you told me everything...I'll never forget that night. It was important for the both of us, and I still appreciate you told me all of that. :-) Aaaaand then there's the small matter that I'm not meant to be talking to you...ah well. Don't think she even remembers telling me that now, bahahaha. The group conversations on MSN, the legendary infamous conversations eh? Not the same no more, wish we could have those times back lol :( Thank you for being so amazing to me, I love you to bits sis, you'll always be my older sister no matter what! I love you. :-) xxxxxxxxxx

**I'm sorry this is dragging so much, I'm not done yet, ha.**

Review replies:

**naley12:** I forgive you for taking days...lol :) Thanks for your review, and thanks for sticking with me till the end! :-) x

**othfan1919: **I just left you some massive thank you up there ^ and I'm not writing it out again, ha! Thanks for your review and beta services anyway, you are officially _awesome. _LOVE YOU. xo

**So it's the last chapter, very last. The epilogue. ENJOY. Oh and review, please. :-)**

**Chapter 42 – The Epilogue**

_Two years later_

**Neutral POV**

Today was the day. Nathan and Haley had finally set a date for their wedding, and today was the day they would finally marry. They'd set the date around six months ago, and had been planning relentlessly since then. They were in the middle of their junior year of college, and everything seemed to be perfect for them.

Nathan continued to compete for the college team; he was one of their top male competitors and he had no intention of giving it up just yet. Men had competed in the Olympics who were well into their 30s, but Nathan hadn't planned an age at which he'd quit, because it was really just about when your body is ready to give up. He loved what he was doing, and wanted to compete for as long as he could.

Haley had decided that she didn't want to leave gymnastics entirely, and figured with her years of experience, she could put it to good use and actually learn how to be a coach. She was working on gaining a major in physical education teaching and coaching. She wanted to continue to coach young girls who are just like she was, hoping to follow their dreams. She wanted to give them the chance that she never got at competing in the Olympics.

She never regretted her decision to quit, her daughter was the most important person in her life and she wouldn't give her up for anything, but sometimes she did look back and feel like she should've stopped herself from breaking all of those rules.

It wasn't all bad though, Haley was still only twenty, and she was working harder than ever to get her dream back. She wanted nothing more than to get her chance at the Olympics that she never got last year. She was in the gym whenever she had the time, and was putting herself through three times as much conditioning as she did when she was competing. She would go for runs every morning, and pushed herself every day to run further than she had the previous day.

She was building up her muscles again, and getting rid of all the pregnancy weight she'd put on. She knew because of her pregnancy she wouldn't be as tiny as she once was, but she would push herself to make sure she was as close to that as possible. Slowly but surely she was getting her shape back and was able to perform some of the basic gymnastics skills.

She'd decided to let Brooke make her dress, considering she was her best friend and was a third year fashion student at the best known university for fashion courses. As promised, Brooke had definitely done a good job on fulfilling Haley's dream dress and the first time she tried it on, she didn't ever want to take it off.

Due to her constant training and constant shape and weight change, once she had her wedding dress, she frequently had it altered. It was usually taken in because of her constant weight loss. She hated being prodded and poked with a bunch of pins, but she needed to have it done so it fit her properly. Brooke was almost too happy to help her out, plus she refused to let any other designer near her creation to fix it up.

She'd assigned Brooke as her maid of honour, as she had been the one who had known her since they were five years old. They did everything together, and it only seemed right that Brooke be the one who sorted her wedding for her. The two had been friends for fifteen years, and they couldn't imagine a time when they were younger when they weren't together. Going to separate colleges was difficult for them, they'd never been apart before, but they worked through it and still managed to maintain their friendship.

Brooke had been the one that taught Haley how to do her double layout dismount on the uneven bars. She had it mastered and her dismount on the uneven bars was the full in back out, after progressing up from a back tuck. They had been around thirteen years old at the time, and Brooke was the top gymnast at the gym. She hadn't wobbled for years, and everyone knew she was the one to beat at Nationals. The top two was always a battle between her and Rachel. Thanks to Brooke helping her to stick her landing to go with her dismount, her DOD was raised high enough to bring her into second position at Hillview, and she had a real shot at beating Rachel.

The pair had been inseparable. They were the best of friends, and once they started working as a team, when Brooke learnt a new move, Haley wasn't far behind her. They were the top two gymnasts at Hillview, everybody knew that. Then when Peyton showed up, the two had instantly clicked with her. They became known as 'The Triple Threat' to the people of the gym, as well as other competitors from other gyms, because of their power and their skill. The three were unstoppable, and dominated everyone.

Peyton had always known Haley would choose Brooke as her maid of honor, but she didn't have a problem with it, she knew the two were like sisters. It had been them against the world for years before she joined them, and was just happy she had two best friends as great as them.

Brooke had been the one to organize her bachelorette party for her a few nights ago, and in typical Brooke fashion had wanted to go overboard, but Haley put a stop to her big plans. They'd settled on spending the day at the spa instead, a little less toned down so Haley could take care of Isabella and still enjoy her party. It had been a relaxed and sophisticated event, just as Haley wanted it to be.

* * *

Everything was in place for the wedding. The bridesmaids were in their dresses, the one flower girl; a now two year old Isabella was in her dress with her flowers in hand, and now all that was left was for Haley to walk down the aisle. The wedding was being held in the hotel gardens, where she and her bridal party had stayed last night, while the reception was being held in the extravagant ballroom inside that they'd set especially for their wedding.

"It's time, Haley." Brooke had announced, walking over to her best friend and grabbing her by the hands. "You ready for this?"

"I've been ready forever." She smiled, standing up with Brooke's help and smoothing out her dress. Once she had done so, she made her way to her father who took her arm and lead them toward the door.

"You look beautiful, Haley." He reassured, feeling his daughters nerves that her father didn't approve.

"Thank you, daddy." She smiled, forcing herself to keep her emotions in check. "I didn't think you'd want to give me away. I mean, you don't approve of my relationship. I know you love Isabella really, but I also know you wish I never quit."

"You're right, Haley, I do wish that you had never quit. But if this is what really makes you happy, and you can focus on family life as well as being a gymnast, I'll do my best to support your happiness. I had to be here for my little girl's big day. You only get married once, Haley. I would hate to miss it." He explained, placing a kiss on her head.

"Mommy!" Isabella shouted, currently residing on Brooke's hip.

"Alright baby, mommy's coming. Now do you remember what you have to do when we get outside?" She asked the little girl, who thought for a moment before shaking her head. "You've got to throw the flowers down the aisle before mommy walks down it. Can you do that?" she asked as the little girl nodded her head frantically with a smile. "Good girl."

The girls and Haley's father made their way to the lift that brought them downstairs, before stepping out and walking towards the hotels back exit, towards the gardens. Haley had three other bridesmaids besides her maid of honor, Peyton, Quinn and Charlie. They were also her best friends, and had all been there for her through the hardest times and she couldn't not have them by her side at her wedding.

The procession soon started, and Brooke kept a hold of Isabella and carried her down the aisle, as she was a tad too young to do her job herself. She continued to do so about a quarter of the way down the aisle before Isabella spotted her father at the end of the aisle. She wriggled out of Brooke's arms and made her own way down the rest of the aisle.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed with a smile as she ran the rest of the length of the aisle into her father's arms.

"Hey, princess. Don't you look pretty?" He responded with a smile that matched his daughters as she nodded and clung onto him. He kept her on his hip as he watched the older girls walk down the aisle in their bridesmaids dresses, purple in color, to match Haley's signature leotard color when she competed.

They smiled at Nathan and Julian who was standing beside him, having being chosen to be his best man. Believe it or not, the pair had pretty much nothing in common, but when it came down to it, Nathan realized Julian was a great friend to him and Haley, and figured he was the right choice. Haley insisted on having the same number of groomsmen as there were bridesmaids, so Lucas, Chase and Nathan's friend from college, an aspiring sports agent, Clay, were also standing beside him.

Once the four bridesmaids had made it down the aisle, Nathan caught sight of his beautiful bride and her father at the top of the aisle. She was wearing the traditional white gown, with the bodice of the dress strapless and covered in white sparkles, with a purple ribbon wrapped around the middle of the dress, and a puffy skirt that fell to the floor.

Her hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head, all curled from top to bottom, and held in place by multiple flower shaped pins, making it seem like it was still down. She wore a tiara at the back of her head, although not too extravagant to hold her veil in place.

"Daddy, look! Mommy!" Isabella pointed out her mother as she walked down the aisle to her father. "Daddy!" She exclaimed again.

"I know, baby. Now I need you to go down and stay quiet for a while okay? Can you do that?" He asked.

"No, daddy! Want you!" She demanded, never letting go of him.

"Isabella." He sighed, using her full name. Despite being only two years old, she rarely responded to her full name, much preferring abbreviations like Izzy or Belle, in Brooke's case. "Can you sit with Nanny Deb for me?" He asked, spotting his mom in the front row. He knew the two got on great and Isabella loved spending time with her.

"Okay." She replied after some thought. He put her down on the floor as she toddled her way to her nanny Deb, who promptly picked her up and kept her sitting still and quiet.

Nathan returned his gaze to his beautiful bride, who was now nearing the end of the aisle. He stepped down from his position at the altar to greet her and her father, as he placed his daughters hand into Nathans. He took it with a beam gracing his face, much like the one that graced her face.

"Take care of her, Nathan. She's my baby." Her father said sternly.

"Of course, Mr. James. I would never hurt her. Thank you." He replied, taking Haley's hand and walking with her back to the top of the altar, after she had hugged her father.

She handed her bouquet to Brooke on the way past as she climbed the remaining steps and stood with her near husband in front of the priest as he motioned for everyone to sit down. Nathan held Haley's hands in his, as they swung them slightly in front of themselves. He smiled, noticing she was wearing that Cracker Jack's bracelet he gave her when he first started tutoring her. She was also wearing that diamond necklace he'd bought her for their anniversary, even though they were still only dating.

"Friends and loved ones," The priest began. "We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. We will witness a commitment between Nathan and Haley to love one another, unconditionally and endlessly. Today, Nathan and Haley, claim their love to the world with these words. Nathan and Haley, there are many things I could say to the two of you today, but instead, I choose to listen to the words you have for each other. Haley," He gestured for her to begin.

"Nathan, it's been said that there's one word that will free us from the weight and the pain of life. And that word is love. And I believe that. That doesn't mean that it hasn't been hard, or that it won't be. It just means that I found stillness and bravery in myself with you. You make me brave. Before I met you, my world revolved around my gymnastics. And I liked it that way. I didn't think that it would change so quickly. When you first started tutoring me, I thought you were nothing but an arrogant, self-centered jerk that only cared about himself and winning the gold. And then you proved me wrong. You changed, or at least changed the way you were around me. And I fell for you; hard and fast.

"It scared me to death at the prospect of love, because I was never supposed to have a boyfriend. I was always told that it was a bad thing to like boys, because they'd only distract from my career. But you didn't. You helped me to get better, and I can honestly say I wouldn't have been World champion if it wasn't for you. And I wouldn't be training again if it wasn't for you, because you make it possible for me to try. You make it possible for me to push myself to all the limits again, and I couldn't love you more for it. And most of all, you gave me Isabella.

"You gave me our daughter; our beautiful, kind and smart daughter, who amazes me every day. Her personality is all you. And I know that having her was the hardest time for us, but we got through it. And all I can hope is that she grows up to be just like her father. I love you so much, Nathan, and I will love you until the end of time. This I vow today." She finished, tearing up a little.

"Nathan," The priest gestured for Nathan to begin talking.

"Haley, when you told me you loved me, I told you how much I loved you too and how I would always protect you. And then we got caught making out in the locker room." He laughed. "So we went back to your house and we tried convincing them that we didn't want to hide it and that we loved each other. And everyone doubted us. They tried to pretend they were happy but I don't think they understood the love we had for each other. Because if they did, they never would've doubted us. So I wanted to marry you, in front of our world, and be a real family with you and our daughter. Before I met you, I thought I had everything I needed to be happy. I didn't have anything else to compare it too. And then when I started tutoring you, everything changed. I wanted to make you mine. And I knew it would be hard with the sneaking around, but I wanted to be with you.

"I realized very quickly that my old life was no longer capable of making me happy. I had to have you to make me happy. And then when we were on our first date, I was a total ass. And I knew that, but that's just how I was. I knew you were different though. Kissing you for the first time was a total spur of the moment thing, but I never regretted it for a moment. When you told me you were pregnant, I was so scared for myself that I didn't realize how scared you must've been. I could still have a career, and we both knew whatever happened you probably wouldn't be able to have a career. But I guess you proved everyone wrong, huh?

"When we got back from London, and you were in all that pain, I felt so helpless. I couldn't do anything about it. I just wanted to take it all away from you, and I couldn't. I was so terrified for you and our baby; I thought I'd lost you both when you collapsed. And when they told me they had to get the baby out, I didn't know what to think. You weren't due for a few more weeks and I was terrified I'd lose one or both of you. Thankfully, I didn't. Because if I did, we wouldn't be standing here today. And I'm thankful every day that I have you and Isabella, you're my whole world now, Hales. And when I look into your eyes today, my love for you only grows. It's even stronger now. And my love will never waver. This I vow to you today. Always and forever; I promised." He finished with a smile as the tears fell down Haley's cheeks one by one. She wiped them away quickly, before turning to the minister.

"Haley and Nathan, you came here today to exchange those vows. Nathan, do you take Haley to be that wedded wife? To have and to hold; from this day forward: for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; as long as you both shall live?" The priest asked.

"I do." He replied.

"Haley, do you take Nathan to be that wedded husband? To have and to hold; from this day forward: for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; as long as you both shall live?" he repeated.

"I do." She replied, trying to stop herself from crying any more.

"The rings, please?" the priest asked as Brooke and Julian passed the rings to the couple in front of them.

"Haley, this ring symbolizes my desire for you to be my wife from this day forward." Nathan stated, placing the ring on her finger.

"Nathan, this ring symbolizes my desire for you to be my husband from this day forward." Haley stated, sliding the ring onto his finger.

"If anyone can show just cause why this couple should not be joined together, speak now." The priest commanded, as the guests stayed silent. "In that case, by the power vested in me, by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

"Can I kiss my wife now?" Nathan asked with a smile.

"You better." Haley replied, moving forward with her now husband to place a kiss on his lips. She leaned up on the balls of her feet, trying to stretch herself high enough to kiss him. As she did, he bent his head slightly so he could reach her, as their lips met for the first time as husband and wife. The fireworks and the butterflies they both felt in their first kiss had returned, and both pulled apart after a minute or so breathless.

"Wow." She giggled. "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too." He replied, placing a sweet, chaste kiss on her lips.

"I go now?" Isabella asked sweetly, looking up at her grandmother.

"Yes, baby." Nathan replied, hearing his daughter's question. "Come here."

And Isabella needed no further instructions before she jumped down from where she was sitting and ran straight for her parents. Nathan bent down as she reached them and picked her up, balancing her on his hip between her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She exclaimed.

"Hey, Princess." Nathan spoke to her, placing a kiss on her head.

"Princess, daddy?" She asked.

"Of course you are. You're my little princess." He replied with a smile.

"Me princess mommy!" She giggled looking over at her mom.

"You sure are." She smiled at her little girl. The trio had almost forgotten the guests in front of them, but soon realized their presence. The little girl in between them both was put down and sent back to her Nanny Deb while they entwined hands and walked down the aisle together for the first time as husband and wife. Everyone stood and applauded the newly-weds, before they were out of sight and heading towards a room at the back of the hotel that overlooked the gardens.

* * *

As they walked sideways into the room allocated, they flung open the doors with their sides, never breaking contact with each other. They'd started kissing about half way to the door, and refused to break contact since then. They pulled apart for air after a minute or two, and were breathless when doing so. Haley had settled on winding her arms around her now husbands waist after holding every part of him when they were kissing, trying to find a place to keep her arms. He smiled and placed his hands on her arms, stroking them up and down while he spoke to her.

"I missed you last night. I was worried about you." He tells her. The two had spent the night apart as traditional on the night before a wedding. Nathan was reluctant at first, but Haley was insistent that they do things the right way, which included the no-sex tradition. After Isabella was born, the two had agreed that since Haley was working towards getting her career back, they couldn't risk another pregnancy ruining it for her. They were still only twenty, and already had a two year old daughter to look after, which was hard enough for them, without having to look after another baby. They would wait until after they were settled with less demanding careers for more kids. They both agreed it was for the better, since it was the only foolproof way of making sure she didn't get pregnant.

"I missed you, too." She said, gripping his arms as he wound them around her waist. She looked at him seriously for a moment before quickly adding on to her previous statement. "But you're still in trouble! How much did this ring cost?" She exclaimed, lifting her hand with her diamond engagement ring, now joined with her diamond wedding ring. Nathan had really gone all out for their wedding, and he didn't want his girl to have anything less than the best. Her new ring was a diamond platinum ring, with three diamonds in the center, representing their past, present and future together.

"None of your business." He smirked, placing another kiss on her lips.

"Well what if something comes up? Something unexpected. I mean, this is all so…" She rambled holding onto his tux jacket.

"Long overdue." He finished for her. "Look, if something comes up, we'll deal with it then. But not today. Today's your day." She smiled as she listened to him quash her fears and reached up to place a short, sweet kiss on his lips. She pulled back slightly when he started talking. "Now what do you say we hang out here so I can kiss you for a couple of hours, huh?" He asks as she moves closer to his lips again.

"Sounds perfect." She whispered her reply onto his lips as she captured his with her own, smiling brighter than ever.

* * *

About an hour later, after delaying their entrance to their reception as long as they could, the newlyweds eventually decided it was time to attend their own reception. All the guests were already waiting for them, but the bride and groom were always a bit later than everyone else anyway. They entwined their fingers as they walked through the hotel, heading to the elegant ballroom they'd rented for the reception. Once they arrived, their arrival was announced by the DJ.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stand and join me in welcoming Nathan and Haley, husband and wife." He said over the microphone he held in his hand, as the couple walked into the hall hand in hand, greeted with heartwarming smiles and applause as they entered. "And now for their first dance."

The couple walked to the middle of the floor, standing in position to begin their first dance as husband and wife. Haley and Nathan had agreed they wanted their song to be one that meant something, and it took them a while to figure it out. After much scouring, and listening to songs on repeat for hours, they finally narrowed it down to two songs for their first dance. Nathan had the final pick and had told Haley he would surprise her on the day. They smiled as the music started to play, and started their dance.

_Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?  
Would you run, and never look back?  
Would you cry, if you saw me crying?  
And would you save my soul, tonight?_

_Would you tremble, if I touched your lips?_  
_Would you laugh? Oh please tell me this_  
_Now would you die, for the one you love?_  
_Hold me in your arms, tonight_

"I was hoping you'd pick this one." She whispered, leaning up to place a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips before resting her head on his chest and swaying gently with him to the music.

_I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever_

_You can take my breath away._

_Would you swear that you'll always be mine?_  
_Or would you lie? Would you run and hide?_  
_Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?_  
_I don't care you're here, tonight_

_I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away_

_Oh, I just wanna hold you_  
_I just wanna hold you, oh yeah_  
_Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?_  
_Well I don't care you're here, tonight_

_I can be your hero, baby_  
_I can kiss away the pain, oh yeah_  
_I will stand by you forever_  
_You can take my breath away_

_I can be your hero, I can kiss away the pain_  
_(I can be your hero, baby)_  
_And I will stand by you, forever_  
_You can take my breath away_  
_You can take my breath away_  
_An' I can be your hero_

The two were so lost in each other; they hadn't noticed the song end. Haley looked up and looked her new husband in the eyes, seeing and portraying nothing but love for one another, before she pressed her lips to his softly, almost not at all, and stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"I love you." She whispered to him.

"I love you, too." he replied with a smile. "That's why I married you."

He leans down and covers her lips with his own, closing his eyes and watching the fireworks explode inside him. The sparks and the fireworks they got when they first kissed had never truly left, but now they were married, they seemed to be a lot stronger, and they felt the sparks fly between them whenever they kissed.

"You look so beautiful. Just like an angel. My angel." He smiled.

"I like the sound of that."

They were eventually brought out of their moment as they realised there were crowds around them still, as they clapped the couple and smiled warmly.

* * *

They milled around for a while after that, thanking people for their well wishes and congratulations as they gave them out, before excusing themselves to spend some time with their daughter. Nathan had yet to spend any proper quality time with Isabella since he left her yesterday morning, and Haley was so busy preparing everything for the wedding and making sure everything was perfect she'd barely had time for anything else.

They were sitting at the top table in the ballroom, Nathan and Haley in the middle, with a highchair slightly between them for Isabella. While Brooke, Julian, Haley's parents, and Nathan's parents sat at a table to their left and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were seated at a table to the right.

Isabella was currently residing on the table in front of them, with her back to the rest of the guests so she could see both her parents at the same time. Nathan and Haley watched their daughter as she sat on the table and . When she questioned where they were before, they subtly told her that they had things to do and that's why she had to go with Nanny Deb. She bought the excuse and was placed back into her highchair as dinner was served.

The dinner went down peacefully and elegantly, just as Haley had hoped. Guests were chatting with each other whilst enjoying their food; and the now married couple was too caught up in the hype and the excitement of the day to notice much else. They started to pay attention when the speeches began.

As expected, Julian and Brooke made their respective speeches as best man and maid of honor, before Haley's father stood up to begin his speech.

"As the ex-president of the Parents board at Hillview, I guess it's no surprise that I'm used to making speeches. But this one is different. My little girl, my youngest child has finally flown the nest and got married. I guess it's no surprise that when I found out about Haley's relationship with Nathan, it wasn't under the best circumstances. And I wasn't best impressed, either. Because Haley was the one that always followed the rules. She was the good girl of the family. And I guess my reaction to it happened the way it did because I was shocked that my perfect little angel, my daughter, had been breaking the one major rule we ever had for all that time. I'd watched Haley do gymnastics since she was three years old, and when she told me she was pregnant, I was shocked and upset. She'd lost everything she worked for, for fourteen years I watched her work towards that dream, I supported her in doing so, but she still lost it.

"And I didn't ever think she'd get it back. But as I stand here today, I can honestly say I was wrong. Watching my little girl get married today really brought it upon me that she's all grown up now. She doesn't need me anymore. She can still have her dream, and she can still have a family. Haley does a wonderful job of balancing training for her career and spending time with her family, and I hope to continue to watch her do so until the day I die. Haley, sweetie, I'm so happy for you. I'm glad you found Nathan, he's good for you. And I'm sure I told you already, but you really do look beautiful. So to sum up, don't ever give up on your dream, you proved us all wrong and I have no doubt you'll continue to do so. I'm so proud of you, angel. I love you so much. Take care of her, Nathan. Thank you, everyone." He finished, tearing up a little as he spoke to his daughter and her new husband. The reality was starting to sink in that his little girl didn't need him anymore; she had a husband and a daughter of her own to support her and look after her. Haley stood up as her father finished talking, tears running freely down her face as she embraced her father tightly and he returned the gesture. "I love you, princess." He whispered to her, placing a kiss on her cheek before they both sat down again.

* * *

The speeches finished up with a toast from Brooke to the happy couple, before it was announced that the posed wedding photographs would now be taken. Everyone involved in the wedding party stepped outside into the hotels lavish gardens once more for the photographs to be taken.

Haley was first up, with multiple pictures; full-length and close up of the bride alone were taken. Brooke then stepped into the picture with her, as pictures of the bride and the maid of honor were taken. Brooke was naturally photogenic, and smiled like a celebrity for the camera. Next, Quinn, Charlie and Peyton joined the two girls for pictures of the bride and her bridesmaids, dressed in all purple, with purple wild flowers in hand. The girls stay put while Haley moved out of the picture, and Nathan replaced her for a picture of the groom with the bridesmaids.

Next, Haley stood in the middle of her mother and father for her picture with her parents. They were shortly joined Quinn, Taylor, Vivian, Matt, Conor and Aiden as they had their family picture. Nathan joined them afterwards, before going through the same process with his parents, before joining the two families together and snapping them all together.

They eventually got through the rest of the photos, which included bride & groom with entire wedding party, bride & groom with flower girl, groom with parent's, groom with best man, groom with groomsmen and bride with groomsmen. By the end of it all, it was time for Nathan and Haley's photos of just them together, which turned out to be a lot different than they expected. They did as they were told and looked in certain ways and smiled at certain times, but they also were just together. Precious moments between the two and with their daughter while they changed camera and set up the next shot were caught; they turned out to be some of the best photos.

After the pictures were finished being taken, everyone headed back inside to continue with the reception. Haley and Nathan had cut the cake before dinner, and whilst the photographs were being taken, the kitchen staff finished cutting the rest of the cake for the guests, placing a piece for each person on each table. The open dance floor continued for another hour, before the DJ announced it was time for the mother/son and father/daughter dances.

* * *

Time passed all too quickly for the pair, and before they knew it they were heading off to the limo outside the venue, taking them to the airport. They were heading to Barbados for two weeks, as it was a top destination for honeymooners. They were still young, and needed time to themselves for their honeymoon, but with a young child, it was pretty much impossible. It's not that they didn't trust anyone to look after their daughter, they'd trust her godparents and grandparents and aunts and uncles with their lives, but Isabella was only young, and they couldn't leave her alone. Plus she was still very clingy to her father, and hated being anywhere but with him. There was no way she'd let them leave for a week without her.

When they reached the end of the crowd of people, they caught sight of their daughter, resting her head on Brooke's shoulder. As soon as she caught sight of her parents, she lifted her head and raised her arms to her father. He took her from Brooke with a smile and set her on his hip.

"Home, daddy?" She asked as she looked up at him hopefully.

"No, princess. We're going on holiday to the beach for a while." He tried to explain to her as best he could.

"No, daddy!" She shouted, beginning to cry.

"Oh Izzy, baby don't cry." Haley soothed, taking her from her father and bouncing her slightly.

"Mommy!" She cried.

"It's alright, baby. Shhh, come on it's okay." She says, rubbing her back as she cries louder.

"No! Mommy and daddy!" She cried more, clinging onto her mother.

"Izzy, baby, please calm down." Nathan tried, standing behind Haley and looking at their daughter, wiping her tears. "Come on, calm down princess." he soothes.

"Daddy!" She cries, putting her arms out to her father

"I've got you princess." He replies as Haley passes her over and stands beside them. She rests her head on his shoulder as her tears slowly subside and he rubs her back gently. "Now, what's the matter? We're going on holiday, baby. You should be happy." He explains to her, bouncing her on his hip. "Now come on sweetie, that's enough fussing. Good girl." He praises as she starts to calm herself down. "You're just tired, aren't you? Yeah you are." He concludes, stroking her light brown hair.

She squirms her way around to the front of her father so she can see both of her parents. She nods in response to her father's question. She leans up and places a kiss on her father's cheek, and repeating the process with her mother as she came closer, before resting her head on her father's shoulder and closing her eyes. Nathan continues stroking the back of her head as she falls asleep on his shoulder, before smiling over at Haley.

"She's worn herself out, bless her. Come on, we need to get going." He states, opening the car door and placing Isabella in the back in her car seat gently, hoping not to wake her.

"Alright then, let's go. Bye everyone, thank you for coming." She smiled and waved to her guests as she climbed into the car, wearing a more comfortable outfit than her wedding dress. She'd changed before they walked through the crowd of people into a 'going away dress' as Brooke described it. It was a simple white dress, cut off a few inches above her knees, with spaghetti straps holding it up. It had three brass buttons in the middle of the bodice, keeping with the simplicity of the dress but giving it some detail. "I can't believe we're finally married." She grinned, placing a soft, chaste kiss on her new husband's lips, to which he returned, before sitting back in her seat waiting for him to start the car.

"Are you happy?" He asks her, despite the fact he already knows the answer.

She joins her hand with his free one, looks to the young girl in the back seat of the car and looks back to him once more before she speaks, "I'm more than happy. I'm perfect. I'm married to the man of my dreams, we have a beautiful daughter, and I'm getting my dream back. And this is only the beginning of forever."

* * *

_Five years later_

Five years on, Nathan and Haley were going stronger than ever. They'd finished college around three years ago, and last year Nathan achieved his dream of winning Olympic gold in Rio at the 2016 Olympics. Haley hadn't done that badly either, since she'd been working harder than ever to get herself into shape, she'd managed to petition onto the national team again, and had gotten her dream of going to the Olympics. She too had done exceptionally well, and despite the public's lack of faith in Haley's comeback, she proved them all wrong when she stood on the top of the podium in Rio last year as she was awarded her all-around gold medal.

After her win in Rio, Haley decided that she'd had her chance to live her dream; she'd lived it, and now was the time to give it up. She'd worked harder than anyone to get her dream back, and she'd loved the time that she had it back for, but she wanted a less crazy lifestyle, and now she was done with college she wanted to focus on helping the younger girls at the gym to achieve their dream, like she had lived hers.

Tom had been coaching at Hillview for nearly twenty-five years, and he'd decided now that he'd taught Haley how to cope with it all, and she'd gained her college major in sports education that it was time to give it up. Haley had taken over from him as a full-time coach at the gym she'd once trained, and she couldn't be happier with her life, her job and her family.

Isabella was now seven years old, and following in her mother and father's footsteps, she was one of the girls Haley trained at the gym. At first she was unsure of putting her daughter into a gymnastics programme, she herself knew how gruelling it could be for young girls, and she didn't want to expose her daughter to that kind of pressure. But when Isabella turned three, her party trick of the day was showing everyone how good she was at doing the splits, and that was the first sign for Haley and Nathan. As she grew older, she watched her mother train frequently and often tried to copy her complex flips across the gym, and that was when they knew putting her into gymnastics was a good idea.

Isabella loved it, just as her mom had at her age. She was one of the best in her class at school, and was definitely a star in her gymnastics class. Unlike her mother, Isabella had no aversion to the colour pink; in fact it was her favourite colour. She'd certainly had to beg her mother to let her paint her room that colour, but she'd gotten her own way in the end, and pretty much all of her leotards were pink. Her favourite was her pink leotard with the large gold heart on the right side, and her favourite competition leotard was also pink, with full sleeves, and black and white swirls across the top. Isabella competed like all the other girls, but she liked going to school and she loved her friends at school and the gym, and for that reason she didn't want to go elite. Gymnastics for her was just a hobby in her spare time.

Haley and Nathan had been married for five years now, and they fell in love more and more every day. With more settled careers now, Haley working as a full-time coach at the gym and Nathan was manager of the gym, working with his wife to keep the gym in control. He dealt with the budgets and the banquets, the flights to and from meets, meetings, pre-meet send offs, the lot. He worked in close alliance with his wife; the two of them together had become a dream team. It was like nothing could stop them, they went from strength to strength in both their work and their relationship.

Just under a year ago, about three weeks after winning the all-around gold and flying home to Tree Hill, Haley had discovered she was pregnant with their second child. At this point, she'd already made her decision to quit gymnastics for good, and the news of her pregnancy only reinforced her decision. As last time, she told Nathan immediately and they were overjoyed with the news.

The doctors had told the couple that due to the undiagnosed low blood pressure during Haley's last pregnancy that they'd like to see her more often, and the pair agreed. The doctors had also told them to expect the worst case scenario with this pregnancy as a placental abruption in a previous pregnancy leads to a higher chance of it happening again, however nine months later, Haley was perfectly healthy and gave birth to their second child, another girl, Skyler Nicole Scott.

After taking one look at Skyler, they knew she was all Nathan. She looked exactly like her father, and Nathan couldn't be happier with another girl. Skyler was around eight months months old now, and just like her sister was a complete daddy's girl. She cried when he put her down, and insisted that she slept in his arms. He carried her everywhere because he couldn't stand to put her down and have her cry for him. Nobody was surprised when around a month ago she came out with her first word, 'dada'. That's all she said when she wanted his attention, she screamed for him and he'd be there.

The four of them were the perfect family, and they couldn't be happier with their lives.

Brooke and Peyton had left gymnastics around the same time as Haley had, and they were still as successful as before.

Brooke went into the fashion industry and designed leotards for training and competition, a common thing for retired gymnasts to go into. She designed them, had them made and then sold them to whoever wanted them, online and in her store. She also designed the leotards for the gym at which she had once trained herself, after getting the seal of approval from Haley, Nathan and the parent's board to change the design. All the girls loved the new design, and adored wearing it to competition.

And that wasn't all, she and Julian became engaged during senior year at college, and had married at a huge, lavish ceremony as everybody knew they would around two years later. She'd hoped to have children of her own someday, as she loved Isabella and Skyler more than anything. But she knew she was going to wait a while, as she was doing exceptionally well in her career and wanted a year or so more before she had her first child.

Peyton had continued on her internship in California at the record label, before eventually deciding the job wasn't for her anymore and coming home to Tree Hill to start up her own small-time record label. She knew how the big labels worked first hand and she vowed to never end up like that, she wanted everyone who worked there and recorded there to feel like a family. And that it was.

Peyton and Lucas had eloped sometime around three years ago, with only Haley, Nathan, Isabella, Brooke, Julian and Lucas' mother as witnesses. They hadn't wanted a huge ceremony, it wasn't their style. Peyton was now expecting their first child, and was due in around three months.

And while all of the girls had the lives they'd always dreamed about, happy with their careers and families, they knew it wasn't over yet.

In fact, this was just the beginning of forever for them.

**So, it's over. PLEASE tell me what you think you guys, it means the whole world to me. **

**PS - Look out for my new story, 'Lose My Mind' - Naley - Coming Soon! Review for a preview. :-)**


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